The Hero
by hahy4040
Summary: After the battle with Gilgamesh, Shirou Emiya finds himself in a deadly new world of gods and monsters. Brought to the world by a strange divine power, Shirou raises his blades once more to strive towards his ideals, and search for a place in a world in which he does not belong. (Up for Adoption)
1. Prologue

**I don't own anything.**

**Prologue**

"Here I come, king of heroes. Do you have enough weapons in stock?"

Magic circuits glowed in his body, his arm covered with lines of blue light.

_Judging the concept of creation._

Blue motes of light began to form around his hands, quickly shaping themselves into solid shapes.

_Hypothesizing the basic structure._

The blades were twins, complimenting each other in every manner possible. One was black where the other was white, and one was clean while the other was covered with an overlapping hexagonal pattern.

_Duplicating the composition material._

In his hands, a pair of twin blades appeared, identical in shape, and masterful in their crafting processes. The blades gleamed in the light as he raised them to his usual fighting stance.

_Kanshou and Bakuya._

Far ahead of him, was a tall blond man in a black jacket and white shirt, his eyes the color of blood and his face contorted into a twisted, angry sneer. The King of Heroes gave a battle cry as he raised his right arm, and the Gate of Babylon materialized behind him. In the sky, brilliant golden portals appeared everywhere in sight, with masterfully crafted blades coming through them. The Gate of Babylon was a brilliant sight to view, and the most powerful noble phantasm he had ever seen.

Dozens of blades shot through the air as fast as bullets, all aimed towards a single person. The blades were all as sharp as a razor's edge, and as fast and accurate as an Archer class servant's arrow. That onslaught alone would have killed even the most powerful magi, and a good decent portion of servants.

And yet-

_**I am the bone of my sword.**_

Emiya Shirou, a third rate magus, had the perfect counter to it.

With a simple raise of his arm, dozens of swords from his mental landscape flew upwards to counter the gate's blades. In the sky, blades met in the air, metal sparked, and the sound of breaking echoed throughout the landscape. Gilgamesh scowled at the sight, even more portals appearing behind him, all of them ready to shoot out deadly blades of legend.

But Shirou was faster. _Unlimited Blade Works_ was faster. While the gate took its time to summon its blades from Gilgamesh's treasury, Shirou had all he needed laid out right in front of him.

Blades from all around him rose from the ground, flying at supersonic speeds towards the Gate of Babylon. Each blade struck true, and the sound of ringing metal sounded throughout the landscape as dozens and dozens of blades met in midair.

Gilgamesh only gritted his teeth.

**_Steel is my body,_**

Shirou knew he couldn't keep this up, however. As soon as Gilgamesh drew Ea from the gate, the fight was as good as over. His reality marble could easily counter the gate, but Ea was another level entirely.

So, now the only problem was to make sure that Ea wasn't drawn. Thankfully, that didn't seem too hard of a task. The King of Heroes was arrogant, and filled with pride.

He would never even think to draw Ea unless his life was on the verge of being taken away.

In other words, he was more or less safe.

Shirou raised his blades, _Kanshou and Bakuya_, and ran towards the blond King of Heroes, his swords poised to strike. Gilgamesh sneered, and around him, new golden gates appeared, holding blades of varying sizes and shapes.

They were knocked out of the air before they even left the gate, Shirou's swords leaving dazzling blue streaks through the air.

**_Fire is my blood._**

Shirou was getting closer to Gilgamesh now. The King was more pissed off than ever, and his red eyes were practically glowing.

Shirou threw himself at the servant, Kanshou raised in the air.

In response, Gilgamesh summoned the Gate of Babylon once more, his hand now containing a wicked medieval blade.

But the King of Heroes was no warrior.

**_I have created over a thousand blades,_**

Shirou threw his arm forwards, Kanshou swinging through the air, only to be met by Gilgamesh's own blade. Gritting his teeth, the redhead pushed forwards with his sword, pushing back the Heroic spirit slowly but steadily using his reinforced body. Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes, his face contorting more and more as silver and black pushed against each other.

Then, Gilgamesh's sword broke.

**_Unaware of loss_**

It was a moment of shock for the King of Heroes, who was a collector at heart. The king's eyes narrowed, his red eyes flashing with a fiery rage as he sneered at Shirou.

"How dare you! You counterfeiting mongrel!" Shirou made no response, instead swinging Bakuya aimed at Gilgamesh's neck.

Another blade appeared in the hand of Gilgamesh, and the two blades clashed, struggling against each other.

**_Nor aware of gain._**

"Impossible! How the hell is a counterfeiting bastard pushing me back!" Gilgamesh yelled.

"Against any other servant, even my reality marble wouldn't let me hold my own." Shirou answered. "Having an infinite number of swords wouldn't matter against someone who had taken a single one to the limit." Shirou pushed even further. "But you're a collector, not a fighter."

Gilgamesh scowled as his sword began to crack once more.

"Against you, my blades are ready all day!"

**_Have withstood pain to create many weapons,_**

_BANG!_

With a loud explosion, Gilgamesh's blade broke into a brilliant fire.

"How dare you!" The King of Heroes summoned another blade once again, only for it to be flung into the sky with a power strike from Kanshou.

When Bakuya was less than a dozen inches from Gilgamesh's neck, the king showed a brief ounce of fear, only for it to instantly be replaced by his almost permanent scowl.

The blade that had been previously flung upwards crashed down on Shirou, making him jump backwards in surprise, landing with crouched knees.

When he looked up, Gilgamesh was angrier than ever.

"ARGH! To think that I must go all out against the likes of _you_!"

Then, hundreds of blades appeared in the sky, shooting forwards with a wild brutality.

**_Waiting for one's arrival._**

Shirou raised his blades in a defensive poise as the first sword shot towards him with the ferocity of a bullet. The redheaded magus raised Bakuya to parry, and steel met steel as the first sword was flung away.

_Clang!_

Two blades, three blades, four blades.

Shirou kept pushing on, reinforcing his body to a maximum.

_Clang!_

A blade briefly struck his right leg, leaving a slight scratch.

_Clang!_

Shirou deflected the final blade with a wide arc from Bakuya, and sprinted towards Gilgamesh once more, the king looking more annoyed than ever.

And then, portals surrounded him from all sides.

_Shit._

Shirou instantly dispelled his two blades. There was no way he would be able to block so many blades at once just with his swords.

But, he had an alternate solution.

_"Rho Aias."_

As soon as the first sword shot out of its golden circle, a giant shield of pink flower petals appeared in front of Shirou, surviving the onslaught of legendary blades. Around him, Unlimited Blade Works did its job once more, as gleaming blades of all shapes and sizes flew upwards like arrows, destroying the gates that Gilgamesh had created.

The ultimate protection.

**_I have no regrets,_**

Once it was over, Shirou charged the king of heroes, Kanshou raised to strike.

**_This is the only path._**

As Gilgamesh's expression contorted into one of slight fear, a golden gate appeared right beside him, holding an all too dangerous sword. His only mistake, was that he hesitated for a brief moment before he decided to use Ea.

**_My whole life has been-_**

By the time the King of Heroes finally drew his most sacred possession, it was too late.

**_Unlimited Blade Works._**

Kanshou curved a deadly vertical arc through the air, and through the arm of the Heroic Spirit. Then, Shirou twisted his body, and before Gilgamesh could recover, he thrust Bakuya forwards into his opponent's chest.

Gilgamesh's face could only be described as _shocked_ as the reality marble closed around him.

...

Shirou Emiya stood up as the pain finally hit him.

Now that the adrenaline was gone, the tiredness hit him.

Shirou's legs buckled as he went down on his knees, partly from pain, and partly from exhaustion.

"Pft. To think that I'd be defeated by a mongrel like you..." Gilgamesh's voice caused Shirou to finally look up and acknowledge the king of heroes standing in front of him. Currently with a missing arm, and a sword stuck through his chest.

He summoned his magic circuits again to trace another copy of Kanshou, only to realize that his prana had been exhausted.

Stupid reality marble.

Gilgamesh smirked. "Mana exhaustion, eh? What a pathetic end." He sneered. "I suppose it is deserving of a mongrel like you." A golden portal appeared behind the king, a sword from medieval England appearing from it.

Shirou gritted his teeth, biting his lip in frustration. Was this the end for him? After beating Gilgamesh, surviving the onslaught of over a hundred swords...

A single blade would be what killed him.

How strange fate could be.

Shirou closed his eyes, preparing for the end, when he heard a yell.

The yell of Gilgamesh.

The redhead's eyes snapped open, his eyes widening as he gazed upon Gilgamesh's bloody stump of an arm opening what could only be described as a miniature black hole.

"ARGH! Stupid thing! Does it not realize that swallowing me accomplishes nothing?" Gilgamesh let out a yell of anger as the hole started to consume him, threatening to leave behind no trace of the heroic spirit.

His eyes were filled with a foreign fear.

Shirou could only watch as the entire ordeal transpired.

"WAIT!"

Suddenly, Shirou felt something wrapping around his arm.

_No way._

Shirou looked downwards to see a golden chain wrapping around it, leading back to the giant, consuming hole.

"That malformed abomination! Does it not realize a servant cannot be made its core!"

Shirou gritted his teeth. "You're trying to take me with you?"

"FOOL! I haven't the least intention of dying! Stay there, mongrel! At least until I can get to where you are!"

"No way! I'll chop off my own arm if that's what it takes!"

Shirou's foot slept briefly, and he felt his strength slowly starting to wane.

"Don't you dare, mongrel! I have no intention of dying!"

Shirou scowled at Gilgamesh as he slowly started to climb out of the giant hole of darkness.

The redhead widened.

Gilgamesh slowly but steadily made his way upwards, grasping on to the golden chain.

If he were to make it out, all of his efforts would have been in vain.

So, in that second, Emiya Shirou made a decision.

...

When the redheaded boy started to poise his feet to jump, Gilgamesh's eyes widened in both surprise and fear.

_There's no way that idiot is going to-_

His thoughts were cut off when a bloody Emiya Shirou jumped towards him, grabbing a lock of his hair as he pulled him towards the abyss.

...

Shirou's eyes snapped open to the sight of a fire.

Cackling, bright, yellow flames were all around him, threatening to consume anything and everything.

The ruins of a building, the flames of death.

Shirou gasped as he realized exactly where he was.

He was in his birthplace. Not the one where his physical self had been born, but where _Shirou Emiya_ had been born. The idealistic boy who had spent his entire life living on borrowed ideals, striving to become a hero of justice.

Despite the flames, he chuckled.

_"That's hell you're walking into, you know."_

Shirou's head snapped backwards as his own voice echoed from behind him.

In that moment, Golden eyes met Golden eyes.

That was when his memories snapped back to him. The fight with Gilgamesh, throwing himself into the holy grail. Everything.

Shirou cautiously walked up to the Shirou in front of him.

"What are you?"

"You."

"I know you are. But what are you?"

"I'm you."

Shirou bit his lip in frustration. There had to be a reason the other him was there, but _he_ wasn't exactly cooperating.

_Oh my god, I'm turning into Rin._

"Where am I?"

"You."

Shirou stepped back in confusion.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

The redhead narrowed his eyes. Somehow, he was most likely inside somewhere in his mind. Somewhere in his psychology.

Then it struck him.

"I... This is the holy grail, isn't it? This is my greatest desire, somehow..."

The other him only nodded in response.

But how could the Fuyuki fire be his greatest dream, his greatest ambition? It was a place of death, not life. It was a place where people cried, and suffered while his ideals strived for a world where everybody was happy.

So, how?

Shirou scratched his head in confusion before finally chuckling.

_So that's it, huh?_

After all, this was the birthplace of Emiya Shirou.

After seeing strangers sacrifice their lives in daring acts to save lives, and to see all of them fail, devastated the young boy. Even worse, he had turned down and ignored every single request, every single plea for help, shutting down his guilt by covering his own ears to avoid the screams of the dying. It was a cowardly act. To minimize pain for oneself while others were suffering by the masses. And there came Kiritsugu Emiya, trying to save everyone he could, not wanting anyone to die, and gaining so much happiness in the simple act of saving a young child, and seeing that at least one person survived.

That look of happiness. . .

Shirou admired it. And maybe, that was where it had all started. Admiration for a man striving to save others, and a search for redemption from a boy who couldn't do so.

After that day, for a while, he simply helped out everyone he could, to redeem himself from his own crushing guilt. To assure himself that his soul, and his sins could be forgiven by doing good deeds. But somewhere along the way, it changed. Although he could never truly become like his father, Shirou's ideals were his own. It didn't matter who was the one who invented the idea of a hero of justice. In that case, even Kiritsugu Emiya was a faker. What mattered was that his ideals were special to him.

And perhaps that was why the grail dragged him here.

Because in the end, he was looking for redemption. Even if he believed that he had long past started to move past the guilt. It was his unshakable core, his motivations and roots for what he had become.

Finally, Emiya Shirou stepped forwards.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to play into the Grail's games one last time."

As Shirou began to move, he heard his voice one last time.

"That's hell you're walking into, you know."

Emiya Shirou merely turned towards himself, his eyes alight with a determined fire.

"I know."

And with that, Shirou stepped into the fire, his reinforced body lifting debris easily.

A man with a blue sweater.

A little girl with a yellow dress.

An old man with too many wrinkles to count.

Shirou saved them all with a smile on his face. And even if he knew it wasn't real, and that it was all a simple illusion-

He couldn't help but enjoy it.

Finally, Shirou walked towards the final person who needed to be saved.

A red haired boy with golden eyes.

Shirou merely walked towards him and smiled as he lifted the small boy in his arms, embracing his past both physically and metaphorically.

His mind screamed for him to stop. To look past the illusions, and get a grasp on reality.

But Shirou didn't care. It was poetic, almost. He knew he was a hypocrite, and that his ideals were those of a fool, and yet he decided that he would pursue them anyways.

Now, he knew his reality was but an illusion, and yet he decided to play into it.

_After all, there's nothing that says a fake can't rival the real thing._

Emiya Shirou embraced his past self as blades started to rain around him, shattering the illusion of the Fuyuki Fire like glass. When the swords finally stopped, he found himself on a hill of swords, his past self slowly dissipating into blue light.

The environment only remained for a brief moment, however. Instantly, the hill started to disappear too.

The last thing Shirou saw was a brilliant space filled with white.

...

Zoe Nightshade really wished she was a mortal sometimes.

Not that she would quit the hunters for anything, of course. But it would be _extremely _refreshing just to get away from all the sheer weirdness that came with being involved with the mythological world.

Such as the 3 _extremely annoying_ old ladies in front of her.

3 extremely annoying ladies who happened to have the power to control fate.

Currently huddled around a bundle of blue light that happened to be shaped like a human.

It was all Zoe could do to keep her calm when the glob of blue light turned into a freaking boy.

_What in Tartarus is happening?_

Zoe desperately kept her calm when the 3 old ladies suddenly snapped their heads towards her, their gazes staring into her own eyes. Then, they moved to other hunters, making sure to stare them down one by one.

Normally in a circumstance like this, she would have shot the 3 ladies with her bow.

But unfortunately, it was considered disrespectful to shoot an arrow at the person who could decide the day she died.

Zoe gritted her teeth in annoyance.

_So much for having a normal dinner._

"**Take this boy to your goddess. His appearance here will change destinies and alter the strands of fate. Tell her that it is of upmost importance that he be delivered to Camp Half Blood."**

And then, the 3 fates disappeared. Not even leaving behind a _poof_ or a wisp of smoke. They simply vanished. Just as if they had never been there in the first place.

That was when the Hunters started to unfreeze.

"Who were those?"

"Do we really have to do this? He's a boy, right?"

"Why in Hades did the fates come to us?"

"Obviously since we're the best out there!"

Zoe took a moment to observe the boy himself. Physically, he seemed no older than 14 or 15, and his features were Asian, save for his exotic looking hair color.

That was when Artemis herself finally came out of her tent.

"Silence!" The goddess' voice was loud, with a commanding _aura_ that caused everyone talking to shut their mouths. Artemis continued, "What is a boy doing on our dinner table?"

This time, Zoe spoke up. "The boy arrived together with the 3 fates, milady. They carried the message that it was of upmost importance that he was delivered to camp half blood, and that he would somehow change the strands of fate."

The face of the goddess of the hunt changed from an expression of anger, to one of concern.

"Pheobe, is Zoe telling the truth?" The red haired hunter nodded in response.

"Bring him to my tent. If the fates themselves consider this boy important, then it is wise that we do not ignore them." She turned around to leave. "Once he wakes up, we will question him."

Artemis called up 2 hunters to lift the boy's unconscious form, and left the area.

Zoe simply sighed.

Somehow, she had the feeling that something really bad was coming soon.

...

Shirou's eyes snapped open to the sight of a 12 year old girl with red hair who was currently meditating on the floor.

He also happened to be in a tent, and tied to a chair.

_What the hell have I gotten myself into this time..._

"Erm... Do you happen to-"

Instantly, the 12 year old was standing up with an arrow notched in her bow, aiming straight at him.

Great.

"Ah, so you are awake, boy." The girl said. "I believe that you shall be answering a few questions."

Shirou nodded, not eager to have an arrow through his neck.

The girl smirked in response. "So you are willing to cooperate? Good."

"Now, tell me. Who are you, and why are you important enough that the 3 fates themselves consider you important?"

* * *

**Notes**

* * *

Aaand this thing's back!

For clarification, the Holy Grail isn't what brought Shirou to the Riordanverse. That is something else entirely.


	2. One

**I don't own anything.**

* * *

**Chapter 1 / Strings**

* * *

"Where in the world am I?" Emiya Shirou asked. Right in front of him, was a redheaded girl holding a bow to his face.

"Now now, you're in no position to answer my question with another question, are you? You have an arrow pointed at your face after all. Now, tell me boy. What in Hades are you, and why have the 3 fates themselves taken interest in your fate?" The red haired girl glared at him, and Shirou squirmed. Somehow, the little girl's glare was even more terrifying than Rin's, which was a feat he would have previously thought as impossible. "Answer honestly, boy. I may not be as good as my brother, but you can guarantee that I am an expert when it comes to detecting lies." Her tone was laced with something alike to venom, but it was also filled with a slight curiosity.

Shirou didn't open his mouth. Instead, he momentarily focused his attention on the bow that the little girl to be holding. It was masterfully crafted, and had a powerful aura to it. Shirou almost suspected that the thing was a noble phantasm. _And certainly not something that a regular looking little girl would use._

"Answer me, boy!" The redhead snapped, startling the redheaded magus out of his thoughts. Shirou merely looked at the girl straight in the face, before finally coming up with a response.

"You know, in my culture, it is common respect to introduce yourself before you demand the name of another." His response seemingly left the redhead flabbergasted, and her expression contorted into a sneer before it turned into a rather mischievous looking smirk only moments later.

Suddenly, a divine aura of power filled the room. The redhead girl had disappeared from Shirou's vision, replaced by a beautiful woman with an aura of immense power. It practically radiated off her form, unlike anything Shirou had witnessed before. It was beyond the power of a heroic spirit, beyond anything he had ever imagined.

It was _divine._

"I am Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Now boy, reveal your name." The woman said before suddenly shrinking back to her 12 year old form.

Shirou blinked. The claim was insane, but after what he had just witnessed, he was almost willing to believe her. And besides, his luck was so crappy that he was willing to believe any type of crazy that the world could rain on him.

"My name is Emiya Shirou," he responded, before adding, "and I believe, that there is a severe misunderstanding here."

"Don't jest with me, boy. Three of the most powerful beings in the universe brought you here, so I believe that there is _no_ misunderstanding whatsoever. Now, answer me. Why, is a boy such as you, so important that you would attract the attention of the fates themselves?"

Shirou cocked his head in confusion at the goddess's words. Fates? Most powerful beings in the universe? He wasn't exactly an expert on history, but that sounded awfully familiar to-

_Greek mythology._

Shirou widened his eyes in realization before asking, "Where exactly am I... Erm, Lady Artemis?" He had added the last part as an extra perfusion, to increases his chances.

"I told you to answer-"

Shirou cut her off. "Please, just tell me. Where am I? And what's the year right now?"

The goddess's face contorted briefly, and she scowled at Shirou before finally giving up with a sigh.

"Fine. You are currently in the United States of America, in a forest in the state of Virginia. The year is 2007, for your information."

And then, it all crashed on him. _The grail, the holy grail war, greek mythology..._

_Oh, for the sake of the root._

If his theories were correct, he had somehow ended up in a parallel universe, sent forwards in time, and _just his luck_, it happened to be in the age of the gods. He had previously heard of the second magic before, so he fully knew it was possible.

How was it that he always ended up in the craziest situations?

"Now, answer me, boy. I have been lenient with you until now because of your circumstances, but no more time will be wasted. What exactly are you, and why are you so important to the fates?"

Shirou sighed before finally giving up. He was sure that even if the mage's association existed here, they wouldn't mind if he broke the pact of secrecy for a goddess.

"This is going to be a long story..."

...

"So, where do we start? I was, or rather am, a high school student from Japan. I was the sole survivor of a fire that claimed dozens if not hundreds of lives, and my father was a magus, and for the sake of things I'll just call it a magician." said Shirou, before he paused briefly. He looked at the goddess in the eyes.

She only nodded at him, saying, "Continue."

"Long story short, in my second year of high school, I got myself involved in a battle royale called the Holy Grail War. It's a conflict fought by 7 masters and 7 servants, who are heroes from history summoned using magecraft. Masters on the other hand, are magi, or Magicians, I suppose. They fight to the death to have their wish granted by an omnipotent wish granting device.I was the master of the servant Saber, and in the middle of the war, I realized that the grail had become corrupted, rendering it a possible doomsday machine. From there on, my partner and I worked together to destroy the grail, and I may have ended up getting sucked into it and dragged into a parallel world."

For the sake of things, he had left out the details of his abilities, and the nature of magecraft. Some things he had to keep secret after all.

There was a long silence before the goddess spoke again. "I suppose... Your story would make sense on why the fates are so interested in you. As ridiculous as it is, judging by your circumstances, I'm willing to believe it." Shirou sighed in relief, before the goddess started to talk again. "_However_, there is one major hole in your story, boy."

Shirou cocked his head sideways. "Hmm?"

"You are no high school student. You are only old enough to be a child."

With the snap of her fingers, a mirror appeared right in front of Shirou.

What he saw in it almost made him scream out in surprise.

_Why does fate have such a grudge against me..._

His face in the mirror was not his. At least, it hadn't been his for at least 3 years. It took all of his willpower not to curse the very existence of the holy grail.

The victoriously smirking goddess in front of him wasn't exactly helping either.

"Fine. If I do something to prove my identity, will you believe me?" Shirou proposed. The goddess merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"I suppose, yes."

"Give me the mirror." Shirou said. Artemis frowned at him before walking towards behind him, and putting the mirror in his cuffed right hand.

He knew tracing would be a better way to prove his truth, but he wasn't ready to reveal that _just_ yet.

"Trace on."

The basis of reinforcement and structural analysis was simple. He would use his prana to analyse the structure of the object, then he would fill it with mana to reinforce the structure and efficiency of said object."

Green light started to glow from his arms, and for a brief moment, the mirror glowed green.

It was over in an instant.

"Take it," said Shirou. Artemis had a skeptical look on her face as she grabbed the mirror from his hand. "Now throw it against the ground with an inhumane amount of strength."

Artemis frowned, but slammed the mirror against the ground. It slammed towards the floor as quick as Shirou could blink, faster and stronger than any human was capable of.

It _bounced_ once before finally settling on the surface, with only a slight crack.

The goddess of the hunt looked thoughtful for a second, before finally relenting. "I suppose you have proven yourself, boy. However, what do you plan to do here? You are a stranger among us, and although the task of the hunt is to take you to Camp Half Blood, what is your's? What will you do on this world?"

When Shirou spoke again after a brief silence, Artemis briefly considered laughing before sensing the iron will behind his voice. Spoken by anyone else, she would have burst out laughing, and would have called him a naive fool. However, Shirou Emiya was different from most boys she had encountered, no, a better way to rephrase it was that he was different from _anyone_ she had encountered, and Artemis couldn't quite put her hand on _why_.

His words stuck to her head for a long time, and she strangely found herself unable to question the honesty behind them.

"The same thing I've always done..." the boy had said,

"I'll strive to become a hero of justice."

...

_Well, at least this is better than being tied to a chair. Honestly, I thought my arms were going numb..._ Shirou thought, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth. After he had barely forced Artemis not to reveal to anyone of his magecraft until he deemed the time fitting, Artemis had immediately assigned him to do chores for the hunters after she had cut his bonds away, and while the boy traditionally enjoyed laundry, it was rather uncomfortable to clean the underwear of dozens of girls that he had never met or seen.

Or was it better this way? Perhaps if he had met the hunters, his silent shame would only increase.

The thought did little to help his situation as Shirou hung up a silver parka.

_Just think of it as doing normal housework,_ Shirou mused, utterly failing to do so.

_Stupid younger body with stupid hormones. _He had long forgotten the feeling of being in puberty, but now, he wasn't sure if he wanted to remember.

He hung up the final piece of clothing as a loud feminine voice called out to him.

"Oy, you! Aren't you the boy that appeared out of nowhere yesterday?" The girl was clad in a silver parka, and had black hair braided into a single tail.

She also happened to be taller than him. Another reason to curse his new body.

"Yes, that would be me." Shirou briskly responded before turning his back on her and checking his list of chores. He had no desire to talk to any of Artemis' hunters at the moment, as he was barely getting things sorted out himself. Unfortunately the girl relented, and yelled out again, "Don't turn your back on me, boy. You better provide me and the hunters some explanation as to how in Hades you just appeared last night, with the freaking three fates." She paused briefly, before blurting out, "And why are you doing our laundry?"

Shirou sighed. "I can not give you an explanation as to the events that transpired last night, and Artemis asked me to do chores." He held up and waved the list in his hand.

"Why in Hades would milady ask a boy like you to do chores?" The girl's face had an incredulous look.

"I assure you that I am proficient in doing tasks like these, and besides, Artemis threatened to turn me into a frog if I did them wrong."

The girl's remark did a blow on his pride. He had been doing laundry and had been cooking for over a dozen years. He wasn't exactly unqualified to do this.

The hunter scowled at him before scoffing. "Fine. Lady Artemis will probably tell us soon anyways."

_Are all hunters this_ _rude? _Shirou didn't have the energy to deal with her any further, and simply started to walk away, taking out his list of chores.

His next task instantly brightened his mood.

The hunter had dealt a blow to his pride as a house worker.

And what better way to prove her wrong than to cook her a meal?

...

It was around eight o' clock in the night when Shirou was done with his list. He wearily approached Artemis' tent, and found the goddess sharpening a gleaming dagger.

"It is about time you finished, boy. There are things that we must discuss," said Artemis. Shirou nodded before finding himself a chair and sitting down. The goddess continued, "Starting from tomorrow on, I will be testing your capabilities in combat, and furthermore we will start to move towards Camp Half Blood, where the fates asked us to bring you. The fates do everything for a reason boy, and there is a definite reason why you have been entrusted to us, instead of being dropped right on the entrance of the camp."

Shirou nodded before asking, "What is Camp Half Blood, exactly?"

"It is a camp for demigods, the children of the gods. Demigods are hunted by monsters in the outside world, and that camp is the only place where they are safe."

Shirou nodded in understanding.

"Next, we must set up some... Ground rules. Although I have been lenient with you because of your circumstances, some rules are enforced, and if you break them, consider yourself in a cage for the rest of the trip."

An audible gulp rang across the room.

"First of all, you will be training with my hunters, but you will not hurt them. You will not touch them, or enter their tents, or eat with them. I have arranged accommodations for you in the camp, and although it is not desirable, it is much better than anything we have offered a boy. Second, when I ask questions on your past or your abilities, you will answer them truthfully. I need a full grasp of your capabilities to submit my report to Olympus." Shirou opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off. "This is non-negotiable. I must do it for your own safety from my father and his council. Zeus is paranoid by nature, and if I do not reveal your abilities and intentions, he will eliminate you in an instant, directly _or_ indirectly. But, as I have sworn to never reveal anything without your consent, I ask for it now."

Shirou sighed, but nodded anyways. Being chased by a godly thunder monster, or being zapped to death by a lightning bolt did not sound fun.

"Finally, when you arrive at Camp Half Blood, consider our pact as over. Although I will uphold my end of the deal to protect your secrets, you will never be allowed within the ranks of the hunt ever again. You are only here because the fates decreed it to be. Do you understand?"

The redheaded magus nodded firmly. He wasn't exactly eager to spend more time with the hunters anyways.

"Good. Now we have nothing more to discuss. You will find a small tent if you walk directly forwards from mine without turning. Those will be your accommodations while in our camp. Now leave." Artemis' voice was commanding, and Shirou quickly stood up and left the goddess' tent. As instructed, he walked forwards for a good minute before he finally found a small brown triangular tent.

The magus sighed before entering the tent. Today had been a long day, and dimension hopping had drained virtually all of his energy. Normally, he would spend time to practice his tracing, but he was way too tired at the moment to bother. He entered the tent and collapsed on a fluffy white bed, the silent lull of sleep claiming him as he drifted into the realm of Morpheus.

He dreamed of a hill of swords that night.

* * *

**The Next Day**

* * *

Shirou stood on a grassy field, a redheaded huntress standing about 10 meters away from him holding a sword made out of bronze. Shirou had also found himself a decent blade, as he decided against revealing his tracing too soon. He had settled for a sword with a two and a half foot long blade, and a straight, horizontal crossguard. It had the design of a medieval long sword, which Shirou found himself much more familiar with compared to the strange assortment of daggers and leaf blades he had found in the hunters' arsenal.

There was a crowd of girls around him, all of them wearing the classic hunter's silver parka. They seemed to be cheering, but Shirou couldn't tell if it was in support of his opponent or in distaste towards him.

"Kick his ass, Pheobe!"

"Beat that boy to the ground!"

"Show him who's boss!"

Then, a sound of a horn cut through all the noise, and a hunter with black hair stood out among the crowd.

"This will be an officially sanctioned fight, and all of the normal rules will apply. Although the blades used will be blunt, just as a safety percussion, there will be no maiming, no dismemberment, and the use of powers are forbidden. The winner is determined by either disarmament or forfeit."

_That makes enough sense._ Shirou gazed at his opponent, reinforcing his body halfway, as he raised his sword into a stance that resembled the one belonging to the greatest swordsman he had seen. Although the longsword wasn't exactly Excalibur, it held similar proportions, and could be used in a similar stance. His opponent, apparently called Pheobe, also raised her sword in a stance that was unfamiliar to Shirou. Quickly he scanned the bronze sword, and equipped himself with sufficient information.

From what he derived out of structural analysis, the girl's fighting style with a sword, was generally brutal, relying on slashes and pommel smashes to devastate an opponent. It was slightly similar to the style of the greek hero Heracles, who had fought as the berserker class in the fifth holy grail war.

The horn blew once more, and the girl shot forwards.

Instantly, Shirou realized that hunters and demigods, were far more powerful compared to ordinary humans. Just one glance at Pheobe could prove it. She was far faster, and far more agile than any normal human could hope to be.

But unfortunately for the hunter, she was absolutely _nowhere _close to being as strong and fast as a servant.

With his reinforced body, Shirou let the girl go on the offence first, and sidestepped a vertical slash. It left his opponent's back exposed to Shirou's strike, but as soon as he brought his own sword down, it was met by a steel gauntlet on Pheobe's left hand. The bronze briefly sparked and grinded against the metal bracelet, before it was pushed back by Pheobe's strength.

_Stronger than I expected. That was foolish of me._

Shirou turned up the reinforcement on his body up to about 60 percent, as he sliced his sword in a horizontal arc, parried by a brutally strong swing from Pheobe. Sparks rang, and the sound of scraping metal rang across the air as the two blades briefly made contact with each other, clashing with brutal force. On a quick whim, Shirou decided to pull what he called an 'Archer', and parried a strike from the red haired hunter before immediately picking up a burst of speed and practically jumping towards her back, bringing his sword down pommel first before the hunter could possibly react. It hit the Pheobe's, and Pheobe stumbled only slightly before angrily swinging her sword in a wide horizontal arc.

Shirou kicked her in the stomach, not bothering to parry the blade and instead ducking under it. His opponent stumbled back a few steps backwards, leaving a clear opening for Shirou to strike. He closed the small distance between him and Pheobe in an instant, but before his sword could make contact with her helmet, it was blocked off once again by Pheobe's inhumanely fast reaction time. Caught off guard, Shirou's blade flung slightly awry, and he felt a strong fist connect with his chest before he was flung away a solid 2 meters.

He could barely believe it. A non magus was able to keep up with reinforcement. The demigods and fighters of this world would certainly be dangerous.

The girl's cheered loudly as he sighed and got up once more, scraping dirt from his armor.

Once again, he raised his blade, getting into a whole new stance.

This time, he wouldn't fool around. The information he wanted was now in his possession, and he was free to end the fight quickly.

Instantly, he shot forwards towards Pheobe, with the same burst of speed he had used to move towards her back. His sword was kept at a steady stance for the entire time, and Pheobe smirked as she raised her own blade to counter. But at the last second, Shirou changed his position ever so slightly. It was an almost unnoticeable change. And Pheobe's blade didn't contact with his own, instead hitting the crossguard.

_Gotcha._

Instantly, he twisted the blade and rotated it, effectively twisting his opponents arm and literally screwing the sword off of her person. Pheobe's hand released her sword, and the bronze blade clattered to the ground.

The horn rang once more, and the black haired hunter's voice rang across again.

"Pheobe loses by disarmament."

There was no cheering, no clapping, no anything. But Shirou could see that he had increased the hunters' respect towards him, albeit barely. And without revealing his tracing too.

_Baby steps._

No hunters tried to interrogate him for the rest of the day, and Shirou was all the better for it.

* * *

**Notes n Drabbles n other stuffs**

* * *

**So erm, **_the plot thickens_**. This is a bit of a filler before they start going to camp half blood, and from there, I will progress the story. And no, Shirou won't reveal his tracing instantly, it'll be a gradual process where he reveals more about his life. But he won't delay it for like EONS either.**

**I'll also post a pairing poll on my profile, for our favorite womanizer. :/ (And yes being a loner is an option)**


	3. Two

**I don't own anything.**

* * *

**Chapter 2 / Steps**

* * *

_"_Alright! We stop here for today! Set up camp for now, we're moving again tomorrow at six o'clock in the morning sharp!"

Immediately, the hunters, who had previously been in a tight compact crowd, began to spread out on their own, losing much of their formation. It was like the entire mood had changed instantly.

But Shirou wasn't exactly calm. He had something _very_ annoying that was currently troubling him. What was it? It was in fact, none other than himself.

_I used up way too much of my reinforcement magic to win that fight... _At first he had thought that the girl had simply been extra strong and fast, but the problem had been _him._

Somehow, his reinforcement wasn't working as good right now. _Which is odd,_ he pondered. He didn't have Rin's crest anymore, and he wasn't nearly as strong as he was during the Holy Grail War, but he still had all-

Shirou facepalmed.

He was 14 years old. That meant his physical body still had dormant magic circuits, and his body wasn't nearly as suited for magecraft compared to before.

But-

How would he fix that? Last time, he had opened it out of pure luck. He wasn't sure if there was a particular manual for magi on how to open back dormant magic circuits once more. And besides, there was also the part of being in constant pain for a week, rendering him disadvantaged in combat. He wanted to avoid that.

Deciding to ponder on it, Shirou headed to his room, deciding to try out something.

Then, after checking that no one was there, he held out his right hand and traced a copy of Kanshou. It appeared in his hand without any problems.

_What? Oh, wait._

He had gotten accustomed to pulling weapons straight out of his reality marble.

This time, he would trace it without it.

He slowly inhaled, repeating the initial steps of projection in his head, just as he had a thousand times before. While he had become more accustomed to simply pulling something out of Unlimited Blade Works, the process in his head was as refined as ever. The magus stretched out his right hand as his magic circuits lit up with turquoise light, small particles forming around his hand.

He decided to go for a nameless long sword from England. Nothing too fancy.

Instantly, the particles around his hand formed into a solid shape, and the longsword appeared in his hands. _Nope, this doesn't work either. Perhaps last time was a one off scenario... Wait, unless..._

_Perhaps... I need to really try and exhaust myself of mana. It's going to take much more this time, seeing as I'm much more experienced with tracing too._

Shirou mused. Maybe, he could trigger the opening with the exact same process he had unlocked it in the first place.

Dissolving the longsword, he visualized weapons all around him. Swords, daggers, axes, and spears galore.

The familiar pain on his arm greeted him like an old friend.

Shirou grasped his arm and winced, the swords around him disintegrating. The newly opened magic circuits were back. He could quite literally _feel_ them.

But of course, there was a whole new problem he had to deal with. The pain in his body was back again, fresh as ever.

_Now, how do I deal with this?_ He had fixed a problem, but had opened up a whole new one.

Shirou sighed, imagining that Archer would have been laughing at his predicament, wherever in the world he was right now.

...

They traveled for about two days before Artemis decided to announce that they were halfway there. During the journey, Shirou's arm showed no signs of healing, and the pain still nagged at his shoulder.

He silently cursed himself for acting so foolishly as he walked towards the tent of the goddess of the moon, still clutching his arm lightly.

The magus carefully stepped into the tent, once again caught off guard by the fact that Artemis looked like a child. Despite the fact that he had gotten over the fact that a divine, man-hating godly being disguised herself as an innocent 12 year old girl, it still put him off guard. After the gritty holy grail war, it was such a change in the atmosphere.

Shirou stowed the thought away as he nervously waved his hand, clearing his throat at the goddess, catching her attention that was previously dedicated to sharpening a silver arrow. Quickly and gracefully, she stood up from her sitting position and stepped towards him.

"You are most likely wondering the cause of your summoning here today," said Artemis. "You see, we have hit a rather pesky roadblock in our path. It comes in the form of a rather persistent pack of harpies that block our path. Of course, my hunters could dispose of them quite easily," just then, Shirou could almost see Artemis wearing a shit eating smirk.

"However, all of them are disposed at the moment, which leaves the job to you. Please dispose of the harpies, before we can continue moving," she concluded.

Shirou could only sigh as he nodded firmly and stepped outside of Artemis' tent. It was obvious that she could easily dispatch of the harpies on her own, or just send out the hunters to do it. Perhaps it was another test? Or maybe a test of character? _Or maybe, she just doesn't like me._

Shirou could only sigh. Why_ do things like these always happen to me?_

And then, a lightbulb went off in his head. His eyes widening, Shirou quickly stepped back into Artemis's tent, not bothering to be careful this time around. Pacing towards the goddess, he asked, "Since you're Artemis, that means your brother is Apollo, right?"

Instantly, an arrowhead was pointed at his neck. Artemis's silver eyes narrowed with suspicion and slight anger as she pressed the silver metal into his throat. "What do you intend to do with my brother, _boy_? I warn you, if your intentions are even _slightly_-"

Shirou waved her off. "Nope, it's nothing like that. You see, I'm dealing with... A rather _pesky _situation myself regarding a strange injury in my arm. It limits my movement and combat," he said, all the while grinning. "And according to my current knowledge regarding mythology, your brother happens to be a-"

The knife pushed in harder.

Artemis's silver eyes narrowed dangerously, practically digging into his very soul. _Jeez, who knew twelve year olds could look this terrifying? And I thought Illya was bad..._ At the foster sister, his mood suddenly dampened. _No matter how I try, I still can't forget how she died. _

The voice of a redhead goddess shook him out of his thoughts. "Are you trying to bargain with me, boy?" Her voice contained a definite threat, that much was for sure. The goddess's tone of voice teetered closely to saying, "_Say one more word and you're a dead man._"

However, Shirou kept his composure. He had dealt with threats before, after all. This was simply... Something of a greater magnitude. "I apologize if my tone gave off a mocking tone, lady Artemis. I merely wish to hopefully get rid of my injury as fast as possible."

Cherry picking his words was a natural skill he had learnt from dealing with Rin. If he had said everything and everything on his mind to the prodigy magus, he would have been a dead man far long ago.

To his surprise, Artemis actually sighed, and dropped the knife. "I suppose it wouldn't be too bad for you to see my brother, if what you say is true. After all, you will not be able to perform at your finest with your 'injury,' as you say. To be fair, my biggest concern for the most part was that you sought him out for... Less than noble intentions."

"Oh, no! I apologize for the misunderstanding Lady Artemis, but erm... I don't swing that way."

And there was utter silence.

...

...

...

Had he said something wrong?

"Erm, lady Artemis? Are you alright?" Shirou asked. The goddess clenched her fists tightly. Not a good sign, not a good sign at all.

"My statement was _meant_ to imply that you sought him in pursuit of power, or revolution, _boy_. Be aware that I have no interest in what your preferred... _Body type_ is."

Oh.

_Oh._

"I apologize, lady-"

"Get out."

And get out, Shirou did.

...

Shirou sighed as he walked towards the borders of the hunter camp. "I hope she does let me meet lord Apollo... My arm is going to become a serious problem soon if it isn't fixed..." he muttered to himself. Letting his mind wander slightly, he stepped out of the camp and conjured an unnamed black bow, along with a few normal arrows, with no special traits save for the fact that they were in almost perfect condition.

Normally, he would trace something much more powerful or specialized, but with the injury in his arm, along with what he knew about harpies from Greek Mythology, the situation just didn't call for it enough for him to pull out something like Archer's bow, or Caladbolg.

And besides, even if he needed to, he wanted to avoid trying to summon any type of Noble Phantasm until his arm was healed. After all, _to be a magus is to walk with death. _If he overexerted himself here, accidentally dying was a very viable possibility. He couldn't risk anything even remotely close to prana exhaustion.

Shirou sighed. This task would be much more annoying than he had originally thought.

A few trees rustled in the distance, and Shirou reinforced his eyes and ears to locate the harpies. Just as he expected, extremely odd looking birds were flying around the trees, seeming very... Aggravated. The half human, half bird monsters were in a frenzy, flying around each other non stop.

Shirou sighed. This new world was way too much for his brain to handle. First the holy grail war, and then dimension hopping. Even if he was altruistic, it was way too much crazy for such a short period of time.

Regardless, he pushed the thought to the side and trudged on, tuning his reinforcement numbers upwards, extremely slightly. He silently thanked all those years he had practiced the magic that most magi considered useless and basic. Reinforcement could actually do wonders when applied correctly.

Ignoring (to the best of his ability) the pain in his arm, he moved towards the harpies' location, quickly and efficiently. Without a sound, he strung an arrow in his bow and quickly shot the harpy, only for the arrow to-

Completely bounce off.

_Oh, you have got to be shitting me._

Somehow, his arrows were effectively useless to the harpies. The harpies, who were now seemingly pissed off at him.

Oh joy.

_Is there any way I can actually kill them? Last time I checked, harpies didn't have invulnerable skin. What am I missing? _Shirou flipped backwards, narrowly dodging an attack from an aggravated harpy.

_Perhaps, I just need to hit them a few more times. _Narrowing his eyes, he nocked his his bow once more, and shot a steel tipped arrow flying straight towards a harpy's head.

And just like last time, it bounced off harmlessly.

_What in the world?_

Shirou back stepped again as a harpy flew straight towards him, claws stretched out for the kill. This time however, Shirou didn't dodge, choosing to grab the monster instead. With a burst of speed, he slammed it against a nearby tree.

The bones of the monster audibly cracked.

_But a flying steel tipped arrow bounced off harmlessly! If that's the case, the tree should have broken by now! Unless..._

When the realization finally lit up inside his mind, Shirou practically wanted to slam his head against a wall. _These things have a conceptual advantage! _Just like servant classes in the holy grail war, where some servants had advantages against others. He wasn't sure of the exact details, but he had heard something about the general topic from Rin.

If that was the case, he would most likely need anti monster weapons to have a fighting chance against the beasts. Instantly, his mind went towards the most obvious choice, but he instantly grimaced afterwards. _I'm running low on prana as is... Would this really be a good idea?_ he contemplated. If he could summon Kanshou and Bakuya right now, he would make short work of the monsters for sure. The properties within the married blades would make sure of that. On the other hand however, prana exhaustion was not something he wanted to teeter close to.

Suddenly, the Harpy that he had slammed against a tree regained flight, with an even more aggravated and aggressive stance than before. It started to attack him in a much more uncoordinated, rage-filled way compared to before. Seeing as how he was vastly superior in physicals compared to it however, this was a good thing. The magus nimbly dodged the monster's attacks, taking advantage of its newfound furthering in predictability. However, as soon as he jumped away from another attack, a second harpy lunged at him out of the corner of his eye.

His reaction was instant. Muscle memory and centuries of pseudo battle experience triggered within him. As soon as the harpy had gotten even a meter within his radius, a white shining blade had turned it into a pile of slowly disintegrating, golden dust. However, as soon as that happened, Shirou felt a spike of pain in his left arm. _Oh, shit._

That was when, of course, the aggravated harpy made another move. Shirou reached the monster with his blade at the last second, turning it into dust with a swift stroke of Bakuya. Ignoring the pain in his arm, the magus simply bit his lip and thanked whatever gods there were that he wasn't exhausted of prana.

Then, the magus made quick work of the rest of the harpies. Despite the disadvantage of not having Kanshou, he was still a far more formidable fighter compared to a simple, low level monster. Once the job was finally finished, Shirou dissipated Bakuya into prana.

_I wonder what Artemis is doing right now..._

...

Artemis deadpanned. Honestly, she hadn't expected the boy to willingly step out of her tent and oblige to her request at such quick speeds. It was painfully obvious that it was a task that could have been accomplished easily by her or her hunters, and yet he had willingly stepped out the door, not even hesitating to ask her whether she was playing with him or not.

He was either a complete idiot, or severely distorted. Even so, it was a fresh change of pace from the prideful boys she had encountered in the past. _Not to mention, his cooking is nice._

In fact, Artemis noted, so far, he had defied every expectation of the male gender that Artemis had come to despise. He had not shown particular pride in his skills, and only fought with efficiency. He did not show off, or make rude gestures, or flirt with her hunters, and obliged to her every request after his initial mistrust. Not to mention the fact that he had domestic skills too.

He was a variable, one that caused Artemis both frustration and intrigue. _And not to mention his connection with the 3 fates..._

Her thoughts were interrupted when someone flashed into her tent, a bright light covering it for a brief instant. Widening her eyes, she pulled out her bow and arrows in an instant, her weapons poised to attack at the blink of an eye, and her eyes narrowed towards the-

"Brother?"

Indeed, it was Apollo himself who had flashed into her tent. The god of the sun stood in all his glory, glowing with the light of the sun. Except, this time, instead of his usual attire- consisting of khaki pants and Hawaiian t-shirts- he came dressed in robes and battle armor with an insignia depicting the sun glazed onto them. Despite this however, Artemis's brother carried his usual mirth and smile. _But there's something different about him right now. Maybe it's just the clothes, but I doubt it. Something just happened._

And then, that suspicion was overriden with the realization that Apollo had broken into her tent via teleportation.

_Apollo_, who never bothered with her unless it was to aggravate or tease her, _teleported _into _her_ tent, which she had previously declared strictly off limits. Maybe she was paranoid, but she didn't want to endure another secret hidden door inside of her own bedroom, leading into a ball pit with speakers blaring out Haikus. Almost on instinct at seeing her brother, especially in such a sensitive area, a certain muscle memory triggered, her initial surprise turned to anger, and her bowstring tightened.

"Wait! Just a moment!" yelled Apollo, who raised his hands in defeat. "No jokes this time. I'm here for serious business."

Artemis lowered her bow slightly, but kept up her guard. "How can I trust you?"

"Well, you probably won't believe this, but our favorite three old ladies came up to me just a moment ago and told me to search for a boy who was with your hunt. Of course, I told 'em, _there's no way that Arty has a boy in her hunt!_ But they didn't listen, so here I am right now." Apollo explained. "Speaking of which, do you actually have a boy here?"

Artemis sweat-dropped. The three fates had directly intervened, _again_. It was already unlikely enough that they would do so once, and yet- they had directly interfered with the strings of destiny once more. Fate was changing by the second, and nothing could be predicted now. Everything fluctuated.

Something was happening because of Shirou Emiya, and she didn't like it. She didn't like it at all. While it was true that the boy had rather interesting abilities, did they matter _that_ much in the end? What did that boy have to be for him to attract divine attention in such a way? There were too many questions about the clumsy, strangely polite, highly deadly, yet completely, utterly mortal redhead boy that she had no idea how to answer. _Maybe for once, the god of prophecy can help me. _After years of sibling rivalry, it hurt her to ask him for help for a genuine matter, but for the first time in what felt like a millennia... She was afraid. _Truly _afraid.

She grabbed her brother's wrist, and pulled him into a chair.

"There's a lot that we're gonna have to talk about, dear brother..." she said. Apollo- for once- remained serious, and didn't lean back against his seat. The god of the sun nodded his head steadily, with a thoughtful expression on his face. Artemis observed her sibling carefully. _Is there something that he knows?_

"Artemis..." Apollo finally said. Artemis leaned in forwards, both curious and frightened for the implications of what her brother was about to say. "Look... When I came here, I maaaay have used a bit of foresight. After all, the three fates almost never intervene in these things. Scratch that, they never intervene, period. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the first time they've directly interfered with the timeline. So, I checked for prophecies, foresights, _anything..." _he said. Artemis sweat dropped, nervous for what her brother had seen. Despite this, she reluctantly proceeded.

"What did you see, Apollo? What does the future hold for us?" she carefully asked.

And then, the god of the sun broke down. Suddenly, his head tilted downwards, and the air temperature seemingly turned _much more chilly. _In that instant, all the emotions that Apollo had seemingly kept repressed flowed through, and it was immediately noticeable through the sheer _aura_ that his emotions radiated.

Apollo looked at her dead seriously, and his expression set a chill down her spine that was unrivaled by any fear she had experienced in the last millennium. The goddess gulped with dread, suddenly regretting her decision to hold such a conversation regarding the future.

But for once- for _once_, her brother looked downright terrified.

After a brief pause, Apollo finally continued, nervously twitching his jaw. "The future, Artemis... It's like a damn _river._ I- I don't know why this is happening, but the fates are intervening, and for the first time in history, there are _no_ prophecies whatsoever. It's... It's all up to us and our children. There's no damn certainty in anything!" the god clenched his fist.

Artemis bit her lip. "Brother, if that's it, while I understand your predicament, you need not worry. Regardless, I believe that we-" she was interrupted when Apollo suddenly grabbed her arm with sudden intensity. The goddess of the hunt slightly jump at the unfamiliar motion, but stayed put in her seat regardless.

"There's more, Artemis. I told you... The future is like a river... It starts from somewhere- the boy- and flows _into somewhere too. _I don't know how this is going to end, and what's going to happen in between, but there's always one _constant._ Like a rock or a piece of debris that refuses to budge." said Apollo, taking a brief pause before continuing. "Do you wanna know where this river leads?"

_No. No, no, no._ Artemis thought to herself, but reluctantly nodded her head anyways. That was when Apollo suddenly let out a chuckle, finally looking up towards her eyes. The god's usually cheerful eyes were puffy and red, the mirth behind them gone.

"Well, dear sister, it starts with a K."

* * *

**Notes**

_**Gasp.**_** What is this? I am alive? **

**Well yes indeed, I am. You might actually notice a sudden change in writing quality towards the later half of the harpy fight lmao, because I got a ton of writing practice recently through painful essays (T_T) and now I'm back!**

**Sorry for being an absolute dick of an author and rebooting this thing three WHOLE times before going on like a half-a-year hiatus. I promise you that I'll update consistently from now on (since most of my personal issues/problems/workloads/duties/other things are done and dealt with, I can focus more on writing) and more importantly, my quality of prose has (imo) improved a lot! So you can expect a more consistent, better quality fic in general unless I just fucking decide to die lol.**

**If you're reading this, thanks for tanking this and sticking around until now. I've failed yall as an author (T_T) and I hope I can do better in the future.**

**And no, of course I'm not dead lmao.**


	4. Three

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FATE/STAY NIGHT OR PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS**_

_**Chapter / 3**_

_**Open**_

* * *

By the time Shirou saw the lights of Artemis's huntress camp, he had half a mind to point out exactly _everything_ frustrating about what she did. After the harpy fight, his right arm had basically gone limp from the pain that came from Prana usage, and his current state was bordering on mana exhaustion. He was extremely lucky that his specialized area of magecraft required little prana compared to other branches, but due to his frustratingly small levels of prana, he still had to watch himself from reaching zero. He shuddered to think what would happen to him if such a thing occurred in a critical fight.

He would be rendered absolutely helpless- and to be completely frank, that was exactly the _last_ thing he wanted to be in the world. Shirou scowled as he entered the camp, his left hand clutching his right arm tightly. It was numb for now, but he was sure that the pain would come back. And when that happened, it would be hugely detrimental for him to be moving his arm.

However- in the goddess's defense, she probably had no idea of how mana worked and how it affected his body. _So, I suppose in a way, I can't blame her for sending me out to do what she percieved as a simple task. I should have probably taken a spare sword as well. It was idiotic of me to assume that I could always rely on my magecraft- especially when my body's like this. _So in a way, he had no one but himself to blame. It was a frustrating thought, and a reminder of his current incompetence, but it was a truth that he would have to accept.

Sighing, Shirou opened the entrance to Artemis's tent, ready to report that the deed had been done- only to find the most bizarrely dressed person he had ever seen- servants included. The man looked handsome for sure- his face was chiseled to an extreme point, his eyes had the warmth of the sun, and his golden blonde hair practically seemed to float around him. However, his outfit- composed of a glowing, floating robe that left one side of his chest exposed- was indeed, rather odd. Shirou narrowed his eyes at the man there, who was apparently having a discussion with the goddess of the hunt.

Speaking of which- Shirou noticed that Artemis was doing something he had never expected her to do- at least, judging from the time he had known her. Both similar and different to the man, who had a sad smile that gave away virtually zero feelings of actual positivity, Artemis was full on _crying._

_Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into this time? _

Artemis's current predicament both somehow worried him- not just for her, but for everything, as one would typically expect an all powerful immortal deity to be afraid of nothing, save for something even _more_ powerful- and triggered his curiosity at the same time. Clearly, he hadn't gotten a full taste of the world in which he had arrived a few days ago.

But at the same time, Shirou found that he didn't want to get a full taste of it. Although his altruistic tendencies would win him over and spring him into a dangerous situation _eventually_, he still had a functioning mind, and _could_ have rational thoughts- despite whatever Rin might have said to him previously. It was simply a matter of having said thoughts, and willing himself to discard them.

Shirou's thoughts were cut off when the two figures in the room finally noticed his presence. As the male's eyes stared at him, Shirou immediately sensed a hostile, _dangerous _aura, both similar and different to Artemis. They were same in magnitude, but Artemis's intent felt more focused. Like her specialty, her aura was as sharp and concentrated as a flying arrow. Meanwhile, the aura of the man screamed the opposite. It felt like the rage of a burning fire, threatening to envelop every single thing in the room.

In the end, the only thing Shirou was positive about was that this man was powerful. He was as powerful, if not even more powerful than Artemis. Shirou suspected it was another greek diety. _Just going by the very basics I've learned, maybe he's Ares, the god of war? But I doubt Ares would dress like that. Maybe Apollo?_

The male stood up, and Shirou tensed, despite the raging pain in his shoulder. However, Artemis seemingly calmed him down, by standing up and whispering into his ear. The man's golden eyes instantly widened in a sudden burst of understanding, and stepped towards Shirou with a more relaxed expression. Shirou still didn't lower his guard, however.

When the man finally came into a meter radius of him, he simply sighed.

"Heya kiddo. Name's Apollo, god of the sun. Just... Ignore what's going on now please, and in favor, I'll try and heal whatever injuries you have right now. You said you had a burning shoulder?"

Shirou nodded, grateful for the assistance, yet unsurprised by the revelation of the god's identity. _Somehow, after everything the world's thrown at me, I don't even think I can be surprised anymore._

* * *

He was wrong. He was so, so very wrong. Apparently, his wound went beyond a physical one, and had to do with the spiritual core of his body being dysfunctional. While Shirou had expected such a scenario, he hadn't expected the measures in which Apollo had taken to heal him. From his existing knowledge of mythology, he had expected some simple magic. Maybe the snap of the fingers, or a star shaped magic wand to flick and swish around.

Instead, the magus found himself in a ritual circle, surrounded by sunlight orbs and rainbows in the middle of the night. With his hand held out, Apollo was in meditation, chanting some sort of ritual manifesto in a language that was completely unfamiliar to Shirou. Somehow, he wondered if this was what happened with every healing process the god did. However, despite the bizarre method involved, he couldn't say a single word against it, as it was effective. Slowly but steadily, the pain in Shirou's arm began to completely dissipate, and he could quite literally _feel_ his muscles and skin cells being stitched together by the rainbow magic.

The entire ordeal took about 10 minutes, and by the end of it, Apollo was covered in sweat. The god wiped the liquid on his face as he stood up, breathing slightly heavily. "Whoo! That's a ritual I haven't done in a while. Kid, you're really something else, aren't ya?" the god asked. Shirou fought back a snicker at the informal tone that the sun god used.

With that being said, Shirou had no idea how to respond to Apollo's question, so the magus simply nonchalantly nodded, shrugging slightly in the process. Apollo let out a dry chuckle. "Good luck, kid. And ya better not forget that you owe me now. Try not to destroy the gods, ya hear me?"

And then, just as Shirou was about to voice another question, the sun god dispersed, turning into tiny flaming specks that dissolved into the air.

* * *

The rest of the night had gone by quickly. Shirou had reported back to Artemis, and to his great surprise, the goddess had apologized, admitting the obvious fact that she had rigged the entire situation. Somehow, the meeting with her brother had changed her stance on him, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that. On one hand, he had to admit- he didn't mind doing chores, and he was glad to help Artemis, or anyone for that matter, with any predicaments they faced.

On the other hand, Artemis let him choose his chores for the rest of the trip to Camp Half Blood. It wasn't even a question of which one Shirou chose.

Let it be known that the hunters of Artemis had significantly more tasty meals for the rest of the week.

* * *

_**/**_

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Lady Artemis?" asked Shirou as he entered the goddess's tent. Contact between him and the patron of the hunt had been kept at minimum levels for the week, for reasons he could not fathom. Not that he was particularly against it, but there was still something quite odd in the entire ordeal. In fact, with only a couple miles left towards the camp, Shirou had ironically felt almost relieved when the goddess had finally summoned him.

"Yes boy, come in." a voice responded. Shirou obliged, stepping into the goddess's tent with slight caution. After all, there was always a chance that things could go wrong.

Once he had entered, Artemis finally broke the ice. "You are probably curious regarding my lack of interest towards you over the past few days. Actually, cancel that. You have probably welcomed the change. However, seeing as you will depart the hunters soon, I do feel that the issue must be addressed." Shirou nodded in response, making the goddess smile slightly. "I must say, from what I have observed, you are... Interesting, to say the least. You train- using your strange looking dual swords- every single day, whenever you have any sort of free time, using an even stranger technique. Your archery skills are on par, if not even more skillful than most of my hunters. You can seemingly summon magical blades out of thin air, and wield them with expert levels of proficiency, and you can move at speeds that far exceed even the most powerful of demigods..." said Artemis. "And yet, you seemingly hold no pride over any of these skills. While you seem to hold a love, and a natural affinity towards your blades, and wield them like a true extension of your body, you see them as nothing but a means to an end. There is no gloating, no public displays- only a brutal training regime performed in private. In fact, I would even go as far to say that the only thing you hold pride over is your culinary and domestic skills." she slightly scoffed at the last part.

"You counteract every single thing about males that makes us despise them, and yet- there is something _off_ about you that I simply don't understand. Your purpose, your motivations remain an enigma. Is there something you strive towards? What in the world gives you such... Such a strange sense of self?" she asked. "After observing your actions over the past few days, that is the question that lingers in my head for the longest time. In our very first conversation, you spoke of justice- of becoming a hero. However, your behavior has none of the glower- the pride, that a hero possesses over his feats and abilities."

Shirou raised his voice to talk, but a raised hand from Artemis made him stop. _She wants to finish what she's going to say. _

"All in all, you're simply an enigma, and that means- to the gods at least, you're dangerous; a wild card, if you would call it that." she paused briefly. "You may be wondering why I observed you the past few days. After a disturbing bit of news from my brother, I have come to the simply, utterly terrifying realization that our entire fate may depend on your hands, and your hands alone. Of course, I may be wrong, but the fates directly addressed you, giving you much more importance than anyone in the world at the moment. What I was intending to do was to get a sense of your character. Your loyalties, your personality. How you interact with others. Which side you will take when the time comes." Artemis sighed extremely heavily. "However, to my great frustration, you seem to be nothing but a machine. You radiate no pride, have a null sense of humor as far as I can tell, and follow ridiculous orders like a lapdog, even while knowing their lack of justification. All you do all day, every day, is train with the same swords, making not even a single attempt to interact with any of my hunters."

At this, the goddess slightly scoffed, letting out a dry chuckle. "It's ironic, isn't it? The one time I need a male to interact with my hunters, he stays like the perfectly obedient _machine_ I tell him to be. Perhaps the fates are jesting with me for all the boys I turned into jackalopes- although I stand by my decisions regardless."

Artemis let her hand fall from the air. "I called you here due to my utter failure in gaining anything new from my observations. I admit that I most likely should have done this much sooner instead of now- but my pride as the Goddess of the Hunt has forbidden me from asking a simple request from a mere boy. I apologize for this. I have been irrational thus far, but I suppose my failure in this endeavor has... enlightened me." she said. Finally sighing, she continued, "So, I am out of options. Which means- the only method I have now, is to drop my pride, and request this information of you straight up."

"Who are you, Shirou Emiya? What are your motivations? Why do you fight? You told me you strived to be a hero, and yet- a hero can mean multiple things. A warrior, perhaps? A savior? A boaster? Just this once, I lay down my pride to plead this information out of you- for the sake of the fate of the gods, if not my own curiosity."

The gears in Shirou's head started to turn. _She's not telling the full truth. There's something off in the way she presented herself. She clearly wants an answer to her question, but what answer does she want, and what does she expect? After all, she fully admitted to spying on me. She isn't above completely butchering someone's privacy, so why is she asking politely this time? It doesn't add up somehow. _Then, a lightbulb went off inside his head, and he had to resist cracking a small smile. _Fear. She's afraid for herself, and the rest of the gods. She's made it clear that I've made the fate of the greek pantheon fluctuate, and my decisions will severely influence the fate of others in the future. I'm something they can't control, and that makes them afraid. They can't control me, so indirectly, they can't control the rest of the world either. Despite being ginormous powerful, they're completely powerless over their own fate for the first time in probably a millennia. _In short, the gods had been brought down to scale, and Artemis was taking a last ditch plead- the fear over her pantheon won over her pride against the male gender.

_It's pitiful, and petty that she's presenting such a plea like this. If only she'd abandon her pride, and ask me directly without creating a cover story._ Unlike his magecraft abilities, his ideals weren't something Shirou bothered to hide. They were- in fact- one of the few things he possessed that he found beautiful, and took pride in. _I wouldn't even hesitate to tell Artemis- or frankly anyone for that matter- about just my ideals. Ironically, her cover story has made it harder for her. She's dehumanized herself, and despite seemingly laying down her pride, she's clutching onto that one final excuse._

And yet-

Shirou couldn't help but feel sympathetic. It was in his mindset to help anyone in need, and for a reason he could not fathom, that mindset seemed to extend to immortal deities. _Because they're expressing human emotions,_ he realized. _Artemis is being slapped by the arrogance of the gods, and still manages to hold onto the last ounce of her pride and hate- and yet, that's the most **human** thing possible that one can do. By basis, humans- whether magi or not- are prideful, and that isn't necessarily even a bad thing. Perhaps when one's ego reaches that of Gilgamesh, it would be a problem of tolerance- and yet, there's genuine fear and worry laced with that pride. That's the part I missed out._

Shirou slightly chuckled. He couldn't help it when to him- the scenario was almost ridiculous, yet completely and ironically, believable. "Lady Artemis, you need not lie. I already know my status with the fates of this world, and I know better than any other mortal- the power that comes with control. You need not create a cover story for asking such a simple question. In fact, simply abandoning such a endeavor would have saved you your pride and time."

Artemis looked slightly provoked.

Shirou continued. "My ideals and strivings are not a secret, Lady Artemis. Unlike my skills and abilities, I give great value in my beliefs and philosophies, and I see no problem in revealing my way of thinking to others, except for the degradation of my social life, perhaps. In response to your question, my motivations are simple: I wish to see a world where everybody can smile and be happy. A world where no one has to cry."

As he expected, Artemis opened her mouth to retort. _Just like everyone else who hears about my ideals. _

But he didn't mind. He simple raised his hand with a slight smile, causing her to ironically draw back. "I am aware of the practicalities and implications of my ideals, Lady Artemis. I have been reminded time and time again of their impossibility. You need not remind me once more."

Artemis frowned. "You're right. That was what I intended to ask. However, in that case, your arguing is flawed. No one strives for a goal without an ending in mind. Your mindset- while admirable, is an impossible one for a human being to have, unless they're well- insane."

Shirou smiled. _You would be surprised at how close you are to the truth. _"I do not see my ideal as a goal, Lady Artemis. Nor do I pursue it to create a world free of evil. For me, it is not a single point that I need to reach, but a way of life that I follow. Helping others shouldn't be in pursuit of a single point after all- such a desire is immature, to say the very least."

"I still do not understand. If that is the case, why do you pursue your dream?"

"Simple, Lady Artemis. Because helping others makes me feel happy."

Artemis drew back, making Shirou slightly chuckle. His ideals were convoluted and strange and distorted, but in the end, they were utterly and ironically- _idealistically _simple where it mattered. Artemis made a face he couldn't understand for a brief moment, before changing her expression to a provoking frown.

"I still do not believe you. There has to be some ulterior motive." she sighed. "However, this discussion has been... enlightening, and I certainly got out more from it than my past few days of sneaking around as an insect. Thank you, Emiya for obliging to this discussion. You have given me lots to contemplate in the near future." she said. "However, if what you are saying is indeed true, then it is certainly a relief. Other than your fate-changing status, your battle abilities are also extremely impressive. You would be a powerful ally, Emiya. And if all the gods have to be, are, as you put it- _nicer_, then as of now, we can trust your allegiance, and _I_ can trust you as well to make the right decision, and choose the right path for yourself."

Shirou listened absentmindedly, nodding a few times along the way.

"You may now leave Emiya, I must extend my gratitude out for this discussion."

Shirou chuckled.

"Anytime, Lady Artemis."

* * *

Shirou crossed the final mile to camp half blood alone. A few hours after their discussion, Artemis had given him a map, along with the permission to leave her hunter camp. Shirou had briefly thanked the goddess of the hunt for her assistance before striding out of the campsite to what seemed to be his next destination.

It was mostly forest land, without anything eye-catching in particular. It did help however, that the map functioned as a bootleg version of "google maps" and highlighted the path with an unearthly glowing light. _If Rin were here, she would obsess over little things like this._

When Shirou started to approach the camp within 100 meters, the map's glow turned brighter than ever, highlighting a straight path along the worn down piece of cloth.

That was when a growling noise could be heard from the bush.

Shirou's batle instincts triggered immediately. His magic circuits were prepared instantly, with glowing blue lines circulating his body within a split second. With no time to waste, Kanshou and Bakuya also settled into his hands, and Shirou got into his classic battle stance. However, it seemed that summoning said blades were a bad idea, as the moment the married swords appeared in his hands, Shirou swore he heard _multiple more_ growls, each one more louder than the previous. _Is it possible that the monsters recognize these blades?_

Shirou adjusted his blades into his most defensive position possible, waiting for something to pounce at him. However, before anything could do that, a _slicing_ noise pierced the air, and when Shirou turned backwards, a large black hellish wolf was dissolving into golden dust, in a manner similar to the harpies in the previous forest. However, the biggest surprise was behind the monster's dying corpse.

It was a boy about his age, with messy, wind-blown jet black hair, and storming green eyes that rivaled the might of the sea. In his hand, the boy held a glowing bronze sword that Shirou immediately stored in his reality marble for further use. The blade- despite lacking any notable abilities like the rest of Shirou's noble phantasms- was something to behold just from the sheer craftsmanship. It had perfect balance, and was one of the most beautifully forged swords Shirou had ever seen.

And in that moment, sea green met golden amber-

-and fate was changed forever.

* * *

_**Arc 01 / The Hunters of Artemis**_

_**fin**_

* * *

**Notes**

**Yup! So that's my first arc, or rather my "prologue" arc finished. We'll get to the real story soon, with maybe some filler in between for Shirou to adjust lmao. Also, in light of this chapter, expect a shit ton of long, sprawling inner monologue. After replaying Fate/Stay Night, I can't help but _not be able to write Shirou _without the use of inner monologue. It's like an essential part of his character lmao, and an essential part to _understanding_ how the guy ticks.**

**Other than that, I'm going to address the pairing. So far in the poll, Zoe, Thalia, and Loner are winning. So, I'm going to end that poll now, and start a new one with those 3, and my secret OTP: The Shirou-Zeus-Tartarus poly threesome pairing.**

**Vote for your favorite out of the 3 (+1) options there, and that'll finalize the pairing for the story. Keep in mind that while shipping is fun and all that, ROMANCE WILL BE A SIDE PLOT. This is a story about ideals, adventure, and growth, and while romance can be a factor in creating the atmosphere to said traits of the story, it's not going to ever be the actual _plot. _Also, I ain't writing a harem because I don't like harems except for my OTP Zeus-Tartarus threesome. In that case SPECIFICALLY, I wholeheartedly endorse Harems and human/god relationships. ;)**

**(That's a joke, if you haven't figured that out yet)**

**On a second note, I may have said this before, but this will NOT follow PJO canon. It's going to start by following canon, before changing the plot. (First with subtle changes, then with drastic ones.) Shirou will also go on his own adventures when Percy and co. are in the school year, and those will be completely original plots with no canon influence. (Save for the setting/characters ofc :D)**

**Anyways, please leave a review if you liked it/didn't like it! Any sort of feedback is appreciated! :))**


	5. Four (Arc 1 Prologue)

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**_

_**Chapter / 4**_

_**Cleaved**_

* * *

**_Recap:_**

Shirou crossed the final mile to camp half blood alone. A few hours after their discussion, Artemis had given him a map, along with the permission to leave her hunter camp. Shirou had briefly thanked the goddess of the hunt for her assistance before striding out of the campsite to what seemed to be his next destination.

It was mostly forest land, without anything eye-catching in particular. It did help however, that the map functioned as a bootleg version of "google maps" and highlighted the path with an unearthly glowing light. _If Rin were here, she would obsess over little things like this._

When Shirou started to approach the camp within 100 meters, the map's glow turned brighter than ever, highlighting a straight path along the worn down piece of cloth.

That was when a growling noise could be heard from the bush.

Shirou's batle instincts triggered immediately. His magic circuits were prepared instantly, with glowing blue lines circulating his body within a split second. With no time to waste, Kanshou and Bakuya also settled into his hands, and Shirou got into his classic battle stance. However, it seemed that summoning said blades were a bad idea, as the moment the married swords appeared in his hands, Shirou swore he heard _multiple more_ growls, each one more louder than the previous. _Is it possible that the monsters recognize these blades?_

Shirou adjusted his blades into his most defensive position possible, waiting for something to pounce at him. However, before anything could do that, a _slicing_ noise pierced the air, and when Shirou turned backwards, a large black hellish wolf was dissolving into golden dust, in a manner similar to the harpies in the previous forest. However, the biggest surprise was behind the monster's dying corpse.

It was a boy about his age, with messy, wind-blown jet black hair, and storming green eyes that rivaled the might of the sea. In his hand, the boy held a glowing bronze sword that Shirou immediately stored in his reality marble for further use. The blade- despite lacking any notable abilities like the rest of Shirou's noble phantasms- was something to behold just from the sheer craftsmanship. It had perfect balance, and was one of the most beautifully forged swords Shirou had ever seen.

And in that moment, sea green met golden amber-

-and fate was changed forever.

* * *

The first thing Shirou noticed about the boy with green eyes- to his great surprise- was the youth's astounding level of power. It was unlike any he had experienced before since his arrival to a parallel dimension. He sensed that it was very much closely attuned with the element of water, similar to the boy's eyes- sea-green orbs that circled and spiraled with the unrelenting ferocity of the ocean's crashing waves. _There's something captivating, something beautiful- yet terrifying in his eyes. _Like the sea, they were deep and endless, inviting and alluring its gazers with the sense of an adventure- a heroic quest, or perhaps a journey towards the unknown. And yet, as Shirou observed now, they were also unrelenting; ferocious and dangerous, like a storm brewing across the open sea.

The boy once again brought down his sword (_Anaklusmos_, Shirou noted. _Forged in the depths of the river Styx in the Underworld. Has the unique ability to transform into compact, simple objects. Made out of high-grade Celestial bronze. Blessed by Poseidon with the aura of the sea. Wielded by Zoe Nightshade. Wielded by Hercules. Wielded by Achilles. Wielded by Chiron. Currently wielded by Perseus Jackson) _on another monster that attempted to jump him. The blade gave out a dim glow as it sliced through the air in a deadly arc of bronze, splitting the monster in half. The beast dissolved into golden flakes of dust as it gave out a final dying croak, the blade of Anaklusmos promptly slicing it into two. The entire ordeal lasted less than a second, but Shirou was already taking notes of the boy's fighting style in his head.

_His strokes are clean and powerful, and he's no slouch at swordfighting for sure. But he relies way too much on brute force and his arm strength. He's strong and agile, but there's too much wasted movement when he swings like that. He wouldn't be able to last a minute against an opponent with finesse, like Saber. And that's **without** Saber's overwhelming speed._ Shirou could obviously see the boy had potential. His form and footwork had strong basics, and the aura he gave off was that of raw, untamed power. And yet- the boy reminded Shirou of an unfinished sword, waiting to be tempered and cooled and finished. Perhaps it was expected of a boy so young, but despite the boy's powerful aura, he disappointed Shirou compared to people like Pheobe- the girl he had briefly dueled in the hunters' camp.

Noting his observations in his mind, Shirou got ready to finish the fight. In an instant, his footwork had changed, his legs were bent, and Kanshou and Bakuya were in an offensive stance. _Now, time for the fun part. _The interesting thing about Kanshou and Bakuya were that the two blades were married, and thus were naturally attracted to each other. And while this mechanic could theoretically be used for pulling the blades towards him like a boomerang, they also enabled Shirou to employ more... _Creative _techniques.

In an instant, Shirou flung the blades to opposite sides, where they spiraled around him, each blade chasing the other in a perfect loop of deadly, bladed grace. In a couple of seconds, the remainder of the monsters around Shirou had been completely disposed of- fluttering towards the sky like golden feathers.

As soon as the deed was done, Shirou dispelled his favored blades, leaving the other boy with an extremely dumbstruck expression. For a brief moment, the boy twitched his eyebrows in utter confusion, waving his finger around where the crowd of monsters had been previously circling Shirou. Despite the situation, Shirou couldn't help but chuckle at the youth's reaction. It was certainly a new way to react to his abilities for sure- No killing, no gratitude, but simple and utter confusion.

To clear the boy of his trance, Shirou briefly raised his hand in greeting, bowing slightly- similar to how he had greeted people in Fuyuki. _Maybe the bow is a bit too much, but you can never be too sure. _Finally getting a grasp of his senses, the boy finally opened his mouth to speak.

"Seriously? You could have just, _thrown your swords like a freaking tornado _the moment you saw monsters, but you just stood there like an idiot? Could have helped a lot- when, you know, a monster could have snuck up on me or something. Sure took your damn sweet time!" the boy exclaimed.

Shirou chuckled. "I wanted to see how you fought." he said sheepishly, suddenly feeling embarrassed. The green eyed boy shot him a quizzical look.

The boy looked like he had a hard time choosing whether he had to feel offended or complimented. Shirou chuckled once more at the exasperated look on the demigod's face.

Finally, he gave up, throwing his hands down in resignation. "You know what? I've dealt with so many loads of crazy at this point that I'm not even that surprised anymore. Name's Percy Jackson, you tryin' to find Camp Half Blood?" he asked. Shirou nodded, giving a slight smile.

"I have a rather... Special circumstance I am dealing with at the moment, and I've been told to go to Camp Half Blood, for reasons unknown. I haven't had the best experienced with the mythological world here... My name is Shirou Emiya. Pleased to meet you." Shirou introduced himself.

"Shirou Emiya? That's a bit of a mouthful. You're japanese, right?" Percy asked. Shirou nodded in response. "C'mon this way, I'll lead you to Camp Half Blood. I know the way there... Or at least, I hope I do."

Shirou smiled and followed the boy, thankful for his assistance.

"So... Who's your godly parent?" Percy suddenly asked as the two were walking. Shirou briefly paused in thought, before finally replying. _I shouldn't give away the nature of my magecraft just yet. Better just to tell a half truth, or a complete lie. _

"To be fair, I'm not too sure myself. I have an affinity to bladed weapons, so I would think that my godly parent has to do something with blades." Shirou remarked. "Judging by the look of your eyes, I would guess your father is Poseidon, god of the Seas" Shirou asked. It was a wild guess, but it made sense in many ways.

"Yep. I'm surprised you figured that out from my eyes alone. I've been in Camp Half Blood since I was 12, which is weird, since you're 14 or 15, and you still haven't been killed by monsters. Have you unlocked your powers only recently?" questioned Percy. Shirou had to keep himself from displaying a shit-eating grin at his next answer.

"I suppose my luck is just really good good."

_Oh, the irony._

Percy opened his mouth to make another remark, but before he could start talking, a majestic looking arch came into view. Decorated with golden carvings and vines, it was a rectangular gate with the words, "CAMP HALF BLOOD" clearly displayed in the middle.

Percy grinned. "There's the camp!" he exclaimed. Steadily, he and Shirou increased their pace as they came closer and closer to the camp. However, Shirou immediately sensed something was wrong as he started to approach the perimeters. It reminded him of something familiar, and yet- something completely different.

Regardless, Shirou kept on walking, all the while contemplating what in the world was causing such a strange presence. It was odd- it was similar to magecraft, and yet had a completely different aura to it. Like it wasn't powered by Prana and OD, but instead- divine energy.

That's when Shirou finally realized it.

_Oh shit, that's a bounded field._

Shirou felt an extremely powerful desire to slap his forehead as he collided headfirst into the bounded field, falling over like a complete idiot. Unsurprisingly however, Percy passed through completely fine. _What kind of bounded field is this?_

Shirou looked towards his demigod companion, who now seemingly had a look of fear and anger on his face. Before Shirou could question it, Percy had drawn his blade- Anaklusmos- and was pointing it at Shirou with a sharp glare. Shirou widened his eyes at the aggressive reaction.

"I've seen a ton of monsters so far, but I gotta say- one that looks like a human is a new one. Don't your kind know that only demigods can pass through the borders? Or are you just that _dense_?" Percy provoked.

Despite the situation, Shirou put on an amused face. _So he quips and insults his opponents- at least the literate ones- to aggravate them? That's certainly a new way to engage in combat. But I must say, it's quite ingenious when dealing with monsters._

Said amused face quickly disappeared when the demigod standing over him raised his deadly sharp blade and charged, immediately going for an offensive attack. Shirou's cirucits activated immediately, Kanshou and Bakuya settling into his hands and his body reinforcing to superhuman levels. _I can't hurt him either, so I'll have to go on a complete defensive..._

Shirou bit his lip and cursed.

_I hate my luck._

* * *

Shirou once again parried Percy's blade with a stroke of Kanshou, the slick dark blade sparking against the bronze of _Anaklusmos_ for only a brief moment- before sending Percy's arm flying backwards, the making the demigod stagger. Shirou narrowed his eyes as Percy huffed, the son of Poseidon growling lightly before looking at Shirou in the eyes, glaring. _He's open right now- I could easily go in for the kill. Right now, his style is way too oriented to fighting beasts and monsters- his guard is way too open at the moment._

It had been the 4'th time Percy's blade had been parried during that fight. _Hopefully he can take a hint from the fact that I'm not going for the kill_, Shirou hoped. While skills were important, the knowledge of an opponent, and rational thinking were just as- if not even more important than a fancy skillset in a serious duel. As archer had said once- _If you can't beat something, make something to beat it._

Percy finally lowered his blade towards his side, his face loosely scrunched up in an expression of defeat. He huffed as Shirou stood still, ever- waiting for the boy to make a move. However, contrary to his expectations, Percy finally capped the bronze sword once more, sighing in defeat.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm fighting the wrong battle here. I mean- you had the chance to kill me... How many times by now?" Percy chuckled in exasperation. "I think... I may have overreacted. But seriously, who are you? Some kinda rogue demigod? A clear sighted mortal? No, that wouldn't explain the blades..."

Percy threw out his arms in what Shirou assumed to be a mixture of confusion, exasperation and frustration.

"Gah! Holy Hades, nothing makes sense! You _have _to be a monster. Are you like- a disabled cyclops with two eyes?"

Shirou held back at a laugh at the comment, much to Percy's dismay. "Ironically, I assure you I am completely mortal. Not an inch of godly blood. It's just that my case is slightly... Special." _To say the least._

Percy scowled with a frustrated face. "Seriously? You're gonna be that obscure about things?"

Shirou simply smiled and nodded. "Sorry, but you don't have my full trust at the moment. And even if I wanted to tell you, it would be the erm... Safer for both of us, to keep the origin of my abilities a secret- at least until the time comes when revealing them is inevitable."

Shirou watched as Percy bit his lip, finally sighing in defeat once more shortly afterwards. "Fine, keep things to yourself. I guess it _is _a bit stupid of me to expect you to reveal your secrets the moment you met me. Gods, Annabeth's probably gonna get pissed..."

Percy put on a slight smile. "As an apology, I'll be granting you access to the camp. Consider it an honor."

The son of poseidon winked, and this time, Shirou didn't hold back his chuckle.

* * *

"Alright, here goes nothing... _I, Perseus Jackson, allow Shirou Emiya to pass through Camp Barriers."_

As soon as Percy uttered those words, Shirou sensed a shift in the bounded field around the camp. _It still exists, but there's nothing that feels **wrong** anymore. It's much less hostile than it was before._ Carefully, Shirou stepped through the camp gates once more, sighing relief as his foot passed through without issue.

Once he stepped inside, his entire vision shifted. Somehow, the bounded field also made the camp invisible from the outside, and now that he was inside the boundary, a whole different vision greeted him. The camp looked like a hybrid between old and new, a perfect middle ground between modern days and ancient Greece. Shirou had never been heavily interested in architecture before, but he had to admit- the camp looked wonderful. There was something extremely- _homely_ about it and he couldn't quite place his finger on the specific reason _why._

"C'mon, let's go. Chiron'll want to meet you." Percy said, finally snapping Shirou out of his reverie. The demigod tapped him on the shoulder and gestured him to follow.

Shirou gladly obliged.

The path from there was a straight one- at least, the path towards the building Percy was leading him to. _He mentioned Chiron... Does he mean Chiron, the ancient trainer of heroes? There's no way... Right? _Shirou doubted an actual figure of mythology would be at Camp Half Blood, but then again- he had already encountered divinity twice in his short stay here. And before, he had encountered _way _too many legendary figures for one lifetime. _Although I suppose one Gilgamesh is one Gilgamesh too many..._

It was a short walk, and Shirou walked in relative silence until Percy finally reached a large blue house, gesturing him to enter with a smile. Shirou entered the house carefully, watching his step. _I feel an extremely powerful presence coming from 2 figures here. One of them smells like... Wine...? And the other smells like... Horse tail? _

Shirou resisted the urge to scratch his head in confusion as he stepped into the big house. From what he could see, it looked like an ordinary meeting room. Chairs, tables, the house had all of the basics, and felt like... Well, a non-godly meeting space.

However, the two figures in the room- Percy excluded- changed the tone immediately. One was a slightly overweight looking middle aged man, sipping on a can of soda. The other...

The other was a freaking _centaur._

_This might actually be the real trainer of-_

"Hey, kid. We've been expecting you to come... About an hour ago. So what's the hold up?" the middle aged man asked. Shirou recoiled with visible confusion.

"Eh-? Could you repeat that?" Shirou asked.

"I mean what I said, kid. We've been expecting you an hour ago, according to Artemis's predictions. So what held you up? Don't tell me you got into a spat with Jackson here or something.

Percy visibly shifted, an awkward smile gracing his face.

"I had a monster encounter, nothing else. However, who are you? You smell of grapes and wine, but I can't tell anything other than that." Shirou dismissed.

For a second, the man's eyes visibly seemed to flare up with flaming anger. Shirou took a step back in response, his survival instincts kicking into place. "I swear, if the fate hadn't cherry picked your damn circumstances to arrive here... I swear to god, I would turn you into a corpse and be done with it."

"Mr. D, please." For the first time, the centaur spoke up. "I apologize for our Camp Director's actions. Ever since he has been expelled from Olympus, he has been quite tight with his patience."

_Wait, expelled from Olympus? Does that mean that this guy is... _Shirou's eyes widened, and the centaur broke out a smile in return.

"Yes, Mr. Emiya. This here is Mr. D, or Dionysus, as you might know him. I am Chiron, trainer of heroes, and I would like to extend a welcome to you." the centaur said, offering his hand. Shirou took it, shaking with a firm grip. "I believe there is much to discuss with you, Mr. Emiya. Your arrival has made the gods themselves wary, and I suspect there is much that you would like to know as well."

Shirou nodded as the Centaur- Chiron- chuckled and gestured towards a nearby chair.

"Take a seat, Mr. Emiya. Do you enjoy tea, by any chance?"

* * *

_**Arc 1 Prologue**_

_**fin**_

* * *

**Notes**

**Well, guess what? Zoe won the poll, unsurprisingly. She's a stable/consistent pick for the majority it seems. I'll open the poll results for viewing on my profile, if any of you want to view the exact numbers. Sorry if you didn't get the pairing you wanted, but if it's any comfort, the romance will be a minor side story, and it isn't going to be like some scenario where these two instantly meet and fall in love lmao. I've read too many fics like that (and unfortunately guiltily enjoyed some of them in my early days... Shame, shame) to fall into that trap.**

**Also, this is probably going to be my shortest chapter to date, and maybe _ever,_ since it serves as a prologue. Expect longer chapters from now on, folks. :)**

**And if any of you are curious about update schedules, here it is:**

**I update when I can. xD**

**Anyways, that's about it. Thanks for reading, and please leave reviews, positive and negatives doesn't matter. I'll even accept flames lmao.**

**Until then, see you later!**


	6. Five

_**Disclaimer: I don't own shit**_

_**Chapter / 5**_

_**Speak**_

* * *

"So, you probably have lots of questions by now- Oh, Percy, sorry but would you please mind leaving? I would like to have a private conversation with Mr. Emiya here." said Chiron with a calm smile. Shirou felt the urge to fidget as Percy gave off a slight grumble, but left the big house anyways, closing the door softly as he left. Shirou turned his head once more to the centaur in front of him, a thousand questions swirling in his head. _How does he know my name? What does he want with me?_ It was eerie to be recognized and acknowledged so easily; a contrast from the Holy Grail War where Shirou had essentially started as a nobody.

In that particular case, Shirou had been able to use that to his advantage. Now, such a high ground was gone, and Shirou, for the better or worse, wanted it back for reasons that eluded him. _Perhaps it's just that I'm unused to this. Back in Fuyuki, it was chaos, but it was chaos that I could directly influence and control. This... Divine powers, legends, this is an area that I can't quite describe. _

Shirou was snapped out of his thoughts by Chiron's sigh. "I'm expecting you to have lots of questions, Shirou. But I can't answer all of them." said the centaur, his arms crossed across his chest. The mythical trainer of heroes looked adamant in his statement, and Shirou sighed in surrender. Perhaps that was simply the way things worked in the divine world. Everything had to be controlled.

Shirou wasn't sure how fond he was of that sudden realization. There were indeed many comforts of a controlled fate, but Shirou liked to think that he had charge over his own destiny. He mentally slapped himself. _Stop. That way of thinking will only lead you to becoming like **him**. Nothing is unyielding._

"I want to know as much as possible." Shirou argued with determination in his tone. "Please." he added as an afterthought. "At the very least, I want to know why I've been sent to this place."

"Shirou, there's no reason you've been sent here." said Chiron with a smile, a humorous glint twinkling in his eyes suggesting a more elaborate story. "You've had control over your own fate since the very moment you've been sent here. And that's- precisely why the gods are wary about you."

_Ah, so they're trying to control my fate. Since they can't decide its path, they're trying to gain ground on influencing it, _Shirou realized. _I'm a willd card to them- the first person they don't have control over. That's... Gratifying, almost._ But on the other hand, he didn't feel any obligation to serve immortal beings who were- in his opinion, paranormal. _Except, I can save others like this. That's what matters in the end. _On the other hand however, a good sign was that he still had primary control of his own decisions. _But for how long? How can I even tell if my choices are being manipulated or not? How do I tell truth from lie?_

"So the gods want control?" Shirou finally asked in an accusing tone. Chiron smiled slightly before nodding his head in both resignation and agreement.

"You catch on quick, Shirou. Yes, while that is a rather delicately simple way of putting it, yes. They want control over where your fate is headed. They want stability, Shirou, without it their very cores feel threatened. Our lives have been dominated with fates and destinies and prophecies thus far... But this is new ground for all of us." Chiron said. "Please understand our perspective, Shirou. The gods, although paranoid and arrogant, are stable rulers at the very least."

"I didn't ask about whether the gods are good or not. I asked if they wanted to control me. And either way, even if that's the case, how can I know that I can trust you? With all due respect, I can tell with a single glance that you're at least somewhat affiliated with the gods, and frankly, I don't want to be controlled." Shirou retorted. "I don't expect you to start talking badly about your own side, Chiron." _Of course, there's the fact that Artemis was anything but evil. Arrogant and biased, but certainly far from villainy or evil._ At least, that was the way he saw it.

But that wasn't what mattered here. Shirou wanted to test the centaur and his character, and perhaps his knowledge as well, despite the fact that he had already left on good terms with both the god of the sun and the patron of the hunt. _Maybe I'm going too far, but perhaps this could be an opportunity to find out more about my situation._ He needed to know more about what he was heading into- what was happening.

"Shirou, I assume you've read the legends before. Zeus, Hera, the Olympians... They are the good ones, or if you would like to put it another way, the lesser evils. The desire for control is almost animalisitc- rooted in their very cores for them. You cannot blame them for being what they are meant to be." Chiron replied adamantly, his face calm. "Yes, they do indeed desire control, but compared to the... _Others_, they are saints." _He's thought this through. But-_

"Legends can lie." retorted Shirou. He had already gone through the Holy Grail War with a _female_ version of King Arthur, after all. "And either way, they're written by whoever wins the battle. Of course the gods would be the heroes."

Shirou caught a hint of a smile rising on Chiron's face. It almost looked like the centaur was having... fun. "It's truly interesting to see someone like you, Shirou. Most demigods don't question the... Ethics of the Olympians until at least a few years later." Chiron raised a single finger in the air. "To answer your predicament, I am afraid that I am running on empty. Perhaps a first-hand experience with the gods would help, but again, I doubt you would be willing to such an experience. But if anything, I give you my word, Shirou. You can trust me not to control your fate. I have no direct affiliation with the gods after all..." Chiron smiled. "I am merely an instructor, fated to guide lost souls to their places in the world."

Shirou chuckled, finally giving in. "So... What do you want from me? To join the cause of fighting for the cause? To control me? You're not the clearest person around here."

"While I don't wish to enforce you to join our cause, I do wish that you would, and more importantly, I originally intended to see that your heart is in the right place- if anything." Chiron responded. "But to be fair, I don't think such a thing is necessary any longer. Your heart seems to be good."

Shirou controlled a dry chuckle from escaping. _My heart? That thing hasn't been in the right place, or good since the first day of the Holy Grail War. _"I don't have an answer yet. I... need more information if I'm going to make any decisions. Is there anything else you can tell me? Anything at all?"

"I'm sorry, boy. All I can do is advise that you make the right decisions for both yourself and others."

"And what if I don't want to support the gods?"

"While I can't speak for them, I don't expect the results to be pretty. Remember Shirou, the gods cannot interfere in the mortal world directly, but they _will_ send all sorts of troubles in your way." Chiron said without hesitation. Shirou shuddered in agreement.

"Well in that case, I'll... Lean towards their side for now. I'll still need to find out more if you want an answer." Shirou said. Chiron nodded in agreement.

"That is perfectly reasonable, I suppose. The gods will not be happy, but it will have to be sufficient for now." Chiron stated. "I suppose you have no problems with staying in Camp Half Blood for the time being?"

Shirou nodded in response.

Then, the two both paused.

...

...

...

"Are you actually the real trainer of heroes? Or is Chiron just a name?"

The centaur chuckled in response. "Yes indeed, I am the same Chiron from the stories. And since you're one of my trainees now, you'll have to get through orientation."

* * *

From what Shirou could tell so far, Thalia Grace- the daughter of Zeus- seemed to be an excitable personality. If he would put it into a play on words, her personality was comparable... To _lightning_; excitable, energetic, fidgety. Shirou almost felt like he was in the presence of his polar opposite. In fact, the chatty, friendly, yet extremely hot-tempered personality of the demigod had given him a _dimension shock_, once again reminding him how different the heroes were compared to the meticulous, cunning magi and the honorable heroes in the Holy Grail War.

Back then, it was a battle of attrition- a testament to strategy and dirty play for the magus. For the servants, it was a battle of skill, and of honor. Utterly serious and honorable knights and warriors- save for servants like Rider or Caster- fighting to serve their masters, to achieve their dreams, and to test their strength. The Holy Grail War was no laughing matter, and nor were its heroes.

On the other hand, the heroes of this world...

"Oh my gods! Boy, you shoulda seen her face!"

They seemed completely normal- if not slightly hyperactive. And if anything, Shirou welcomed the change. The heroes of this world felt more friendly, open... Trustworthy, almost. Saber was a constant pillar and an ally, but Shirou would never imagine himself bursting out laughing in front of the King of Knights.

But then again... _I can't imagine myself like that in front of anyone._ Memories of the 'date' with Rin and Saber flooded back to his mind. _I'm undeserving of this... I'm not worthy..._ Shirou slapped the thoughts out of his head. _These are exactly the thoughts that Rin sought to help me with. If anything, even if she's still probably alive and well in Fuyuki, I'll honor her memory to the best of my ability by carrying on what she tried to do._ It was the very least he could do for the woman that had become his best friend during the war. _Even if I fail... It's worth a try._

So, Shirou did his best attempt to find humor in the fact that he had smacked a girl into the ground with Taiga Fujimura's cursed Bokken. _To be fair, I suppose their is something amusing in such a sight. _Shirou found himself surprised that he did indeed find humor in the events that had just transpired. Just a bit, but it was certainly there. _And it's different too. Normally my humor revolves around making snark comments... (God I really am turning into Archer) But this... I feel like I'm enjoying myself. Something's changed and I don't know what._

Oh, Archer would be so proud.

Meanwhile, his orientation instructor was rolling on the floor laughing.

"Shirou- That is your name right?" asked Thalia. Shirou nodded. "Shirou, you might just be my new best buddy in this entire camp. Color me impressed, newbie." the girl said before dissolving into a loud chuckle once more, causing the magus to give out a snort of amusement.

* * *

_A Few Minutes Before_

* * *

"Right-io, now that's the Ares cabin over there, and we should probably get going soon because-" As Thalia finished her statement, Shirou watched in interest as a large, bulky girl emerged from the spartan building. She seemed to take an importance in looking intimidating, with an electric spear cackling with lightning strapped around her back. Behind her were two similar looking demigods, except without the seemingly enchanted weapon. Shirou quickly scanned the spear as the girl walked forwards.

"-That." Thalia finished with a sigh. "God dammit Clarisse..." Shirou heard her mutter.

"So... You the next newbie in this camp?" The girl- presumably Clarisse- said. "You look waaay too old for a newbie." With that, the girl, took out her spear, holding the blunt end towards him. "But that just means you're _extra_ soft. Monsters ain't trailin' your ass like the rest of us huh? You've lived the easy life kiddo."

"Clarisse..." Thalia breathed heavily, her electric blue eyes starting to mirror threatening storm clouds. Shirou briefly glanced at his orientation instructor, surprised that the girl's temper had risen as easily as it did. _Looks like powerful demigods in general seem easy to aggravate. Although, given their situations, I don't blame them._

"Shut up Thalia! This is orientation for the newbies here. Just because Jackson escaped doesn't mean you're gonna too." the girl said. _Jackson? As in, Percy Jackson? And what in the world did he escape from? _Shirou's first guess was that it had something to do with water, seeing as the demigod had an extremely steep affinity toward the particular element.

Either way, Shirou didn't have time to think, and the magus was snapped out of his brief thoughts as the girl quickly reached forwards for him, her hands grasping hungrily for one of his limbs. In reaction, Shirou jumped backwards, turning on his reinforcement slightly in the process. _Never hurts to be too careful after all. _The sudden movement drew a reaction from the group, and the girl looked at him strangely before scoffing, rolling her eyes.

Then, the reached for her spear

The girl unsheathed the enchanted weapon as the other demigods unsheathed bronze staves. "We're gonna hit you with the blunt ends, no worries scrub. But you can all avoid this if ya just come with us without fighting too much." Clarisse raised an eyebrow in challenge, her tone almost _inviting._ It was a provocation, and from what Shirou could tell, a light hearted one. _There doesn't seem to be any real malice beyond those words..._

Despite this, Shirou wasn't quite fond of following complete strangers to unknown plethoras of troubles.

"Shirou..." Thalia warned. Shirou paid her no attention as he calmly inhaled, activating his tracing and searching his reality marble for a proper weapon. He looked for something that wouldn't maim, something blunt... Then, he found the perfect match and almost snorted in amusement.

_Oh. This will do. This will do very well._

As his hands grasped around the familiar grip of the Tora-Shinai, Shirou steeled his eyes and put himself in a battle stance. Clarisse and the demigods scoffed in response.

"Where the hell did that thing come from? And what the hell even is that? You expect that puny wooden stick to help you?"

Shirou put on an innocent smile. _Oh, when will they learn..._

* * *

_Present_

* * *

"But seriously, how in Hades did you do that? You some weapon demigod or something?" Thalia asked. Shirou chuckled dryly before shaking his head, making the daughter of Zeus to look at him with a questioning stare. _I suppose revealing a bit couldn't hurt. I trusted Percy after all._

"I am mortal." Shirou said.

"_What!?"_ Thalia asked in an inrediculous tone. "You're a mortal and you set off Clarisse and her jockey's like that? I'm calling bull. There's no way you aren't a demigod." the daughter of Zeus exclaimed. Shirou let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head in mock disagreement.

"I'm a special case." he said, standing up and dusting himself of the grass. The orientation had ended a few minutes ago. "Although I don't think it's the best move to make to reveal the exact nature of my abilities right now. Maybe I'll tell you later."

"And pray tell- what does _later _mean? Trust me, you won't like it when I'm curious about something." quipped Thalia with a smirk.

"Who knows? A month, a year, a decade maybe. Although I doubt the last scenario."

"A _decade?_"

"Yes."

Shirou watched as the demigod groaned, an amused smile daring to crawl up his face. For some reason, the daughter of Zeus reminded him of someone. But he couldn't _quite_ get his hands on it...

"So, now I go to the Heremes cabin?" the magus finally asked. The demigod, in response, seemingly snapped out of her exasperation, a shit eating grin making its way up her face. Shirou shifted his expression nervously as his orientation instructor flashed him a look that screamed, _You're gonna regret this. _Shirou cocked his head sideways in curiosity. _Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that she intentionally didn't let me go inside that cabin._

In an instant, said look was gone. "Yup! To the Heremes Cabin you go!"

Somehow, as Shirou Emiya obliged to go with his hyperactive new companion, he felt a bad omen crawling up his backside.

* * *

**Notes**

**Sorry! I wanted to make this longer, but I want to end this off right here in chronological terms. I wanted to have the Chiron talk and Thalia orientation in this chapter, and leave everything else to the following few. The camp half blood arc will be filled with shorter chapters for the most part actually xD. Hopefully we'll start diving into the main story soon though.**

**As for Thalia, I'm aware that many of you wanted her for a pairing (She was 2nd choice so...) but worry not! I like her character a lot, and even if she isn't going to be used as a romantic love interest, she'll be a major character, and I'm super excited for her interactions with Shirou LOL. I'm gonna have a ton of fun writing those.**

**Nothing else to note at the moment. So, please read and leave a review for the chapter!**


	7. Six

_**Disclaimer: I don't own things**_

_**Chapter / 6**_

_**Quest**_

* * *

In the end, Shirou's fears had been confirmed. The heremes cabin had been a complete mess, although he had to admit- it was much cleaner than one would expect from a room with over a dozen people. And besides, Shirou was used to messy rooms, and sleeping on the floor. He still fondly remembered the times before the Holy Grail War where he had more often than not fallen asleep in his wardrobe, trying to master structural analysis and reinforcement. _Things were so much simpler back then. _It had just been him striving for his ideals, like a naive child. No Archer to reprimand him for the consequences of his foolishness, no philosophical gymnastics to remind him of what he fought for. It was a naive time of his life, that was for sure. But despite everything, it had also been one of his happier times.

Where he had been able to idealize and dream, without reality hitting him back with the force of a speeding truck. He had come out of the holy grail war a more knowledgable man, and a wiser one, but with the loss of naivety comes the loss of optimism. There was something fundamentally _different_ about how Shirou approached his ideal now, and he couldn't quite place his finger on what exactly had changed. It was undeniably, and incredibly frustrating. _If I can't even understand the needs of my own soul, how can I know the needs of others?_

Perhaps it was childish of him to long for simpler times. He had dreamed of a world of good and evil, where he had _known_ the two by heart and knew how to approach every scenario with confidence and hope. Now, things were much more complicated. If he was a piece of machinery, there was now a broken gear somewhere in his mind.

_Or maybe, I've only started to fully work. There isn't a broken gear, no. There's only been **change**. And I don't know what that change has done, or what it means. Sure, I'm more confident in my ideals, but how does that make up for the contrasting reality that faces me?_

He didn't have the time to answer his questions. Frankly, he wasn't sure he even had the capacity to. He needed another Archer, another wake up call. Another conflict for him to overcome. Something needed to _spur_ him to work out the inner depths of how his mind worked.

Shirou, to some degree, had always known that he didn't think like a normal human. He couldn't relate or empathize to anyone on a personal level. He understood emotions scientifically, and appreciated them for what they were. He even felt them himself at times. But he couldn't _empathize_ on an emotional level. Frankly, that was most likely the only absolute that he had of his mind. _Because just like I can't emotionally comprehend the minds and sentiments of others, I can't understand the depths of my own mind and ideals. _

Perhaps he was finally _feeling _emotions like a normal human, and struggled to grasp them fully. But he knew that wasn't true. The changes that had occurred with the holy grail war didn't extend to such a simple, absolute solution.

Shirou frowned, his eyes staring up at the ceiling of the Heremes cabin. The sound of snores- he had to admit- were lulling.

* * *

"Hey! You there!"

Shirou turned around, cocking his head slightly sideways in curiosity. In front of him, a few meters away, was a blond girl with princess curls. Stormy grey eyes decorated her expression, her eyes immediately giving off an aura of cunning intelligence. _Now that I think about it, lots of people here have eyes that give away their personality. Percy with his waves, Thalia with her thunder. _

Shirou had to admit, to some degree, he was curious if the theory would hold true with the girl as well. Quirking his eyebrows up in interest, he stepped forwards towards the girl, who seemed to observe him with every passing moment. If not for the holy grail war, the gaze would have sent chills down his spine.

"You're Shirou Emiya, right? The guy that arrived at Camp yesterday? The one that Thalia met up with?" asked the girl. Shirou let out an amused chuckle in response.

"Yeah, my name is Shirou Emiya. Who are you?" Shirou retaliated. "Are you a friend of Thalia's?"

"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. Pleased to meet you." said the girl with a smile as she stretched her hand out. Shirou gladly shook it. "Thalia told me about a new camper who single handedly beat Clarisse's entire gang with a wooden stick. Sorry if I'm disturbing you, but well... I just had to find out, didn't I?"

Shirou laughed, waving her comment off with a raised hand. "It's fine. I was getting bored anyways. And yeah, I suppose I did beat Clarisse with..." Shirou briefly chuckled in amusement. Somehow, the daughter of Zeus describing Taiga's kendo sword as a 'stick' was equally natural and laughable. "...a stick. Before you ask me though, I don't know who my godly parent is. In fact, I don't think I even _have_ one."

Somewhat predictably, the daughter of Athena's eyes widened. "What? Thalia never told me that!" she said, before pausing briefly and sighing, letting out a soft laugh. "Gods, she did that just to catch me off guard, didn't she? Anyways, if that's the case, I guess it makes sense why you've survived for this long. Demigods out in the wild don't usually make it to 10 years old."

Shirou's eyes widened at that particular piece of information, pausing in shock. "What!? What happens to them?" he asked.

Annabeth sighed, falling into a frown. "Did Thalia not tell you?" she asked, before slapping herself on the forehead. "Never mind, of course Thalia didn't tell you. Demigods like us are hunted by monsters because of our scent. The camp here is the only place where we're safe. If demigods don't make it to camp, well then..."

The girl fell into silence. Shirou didn't need her to explicitly state what she was going to say. Slowly, he nodded in understanding. _That must be why the barrier exists. To keep out monsters and mortals and protect the demigods inside the camp..._

Shirou grimaced. _I wonder though, why didn't Thalia tell me about something like this? It should be pretty much essential to know, right?_ Annabeth seemingly read his expression, and replied for him. "Don't blame Thalia too much for not telling you, Shirou. She has... Bad experiences with being a stray. You should probably go ask her yourself if you want to find out more, though." Shirou nodded in response, understanding the hidden message.

Shirou perked up once more. "Wait, but aren't your parents gods? Why can't they just... Blast them or something? Artemis seemed pretty fine with hunting monsters, so why not other gods?" he asked. Annabeth looked at him suspiciously in response.

"You know Artemis?" she asked accusingly.

"I... Had a run in with her hunters on my way here. Right during the middle of one of their hunts." Shirou lied, not wanting to divulge his extra-dimensional nature. "To be fair, I think I'm lucky that I haven't been turned into a jackalope yet." he added for extra measure. The response seemed to calm the daughter of Athena down, if only a little.

"Oh. Sorry for accusing you, then. I don't really have the best experience with Artemis. Well... It's more Thalia, but still." said Annabeth, scowling. "Anyways, to answer your question before... Gods aren't the best parents. They tend to go around impregnating mortals a lot, and then kind of just... Abandon their kids. Most demigods here have never known both parents, and some have never known any." she said with a sigh. Shirou glowered.

"Isn't that a bit irresponsible? At least, they should have the decency to save the kids' lives." Shirou said, feeling anger starting to slowly build up. "They're gods, for-"

Annabeth interrupted. "You can't blame them. The ancient laws forbid the gods from direct interference with us mortals, and although that doesn't excuse some of their behavior... Well, they can't just 'blast them out of thin air' as you've said." she said with a dry chuckle at the end. Shirou frowned.

"So, their children are just..." Shirou started.

"More or less orphaned, yeah. Almost none of us come from nice childhoods." Annabeth finished.

Wanting to change the topic, he shifted his tone once more. "You said you were a friend of Thalia's? It looks like you know her well."

"Oh! Yeah, I've known Thalia for well... Years. She's like a sister to me." replied Annabeth. Shirou mouthed an "o" in realization. But before he could further elaborate on the topic, the girl spoke up once more. "Actually, that's not the main reason I wanted to see you though. You see, in camp, we do a lot of combat exercises, and one of the big ones is Arena dueling. You... do know what that is, right? The name is pretty self explanatory." Shirou nodded in response. "Well," the girl continued, "I wanted to ask you if you could join my team. Normally I'd partner up with Percy and Thalia... But I wanna see what you've got. Your fight with Clarisse caused a pretty big stir in camp, you know?"

Shirou quirked an eyebrow upwards in curiosity. The rumor mill was abundant in Camp Half Blood, by the looks of it. _Not to mention, I was right. Eyes really do predict personalities here..._ Another thing to add about the oddities of this new world. Either way, Shirou didn't see any harm in accepting the girl's deal. After a pause, he nodded his head, accepting her request. _But... there's something missing from her story._

"Wait. There's something odd here. Are you seriously only partnering with me because I'm new and I beat Clarisse?" Shirou asked. "You already have 2 powerful demigods, so why substitute one for someone who could be much less skilled?" Shirou asked with a slight accusatory tone. The daughter of Athena smirked in response.

"My mom is Athena. I'm curious by nature, you know? To be fair, there _are_ a ton of weird rumors about you Shirou. To be fair, I just wanted to test how capable you really were. But, on the other hand, you complicated things even more for me!" Annabeth said with a smile that seemed to slowly pick away at his soul. _Analyzing it. Piecing things together._ "You're a mortal, and you beat Clarisse and her gang with nothing but a stick." she continued. "Do you know what that means?"

Shirou shook his head.

"It means you're a puzzle for me to solve. And don't think I didn't notice you lying to me about Artemis." she said, as Shirou briefly widened his eyes before fixing his mistake. "I'm the oldest child of Athena there is, and the Olympians are all on high alert." she continued, before pausing briefly. "Here's a fun fact: The cabin councellors were supposed to take a field trip to Olympus to give reports about two days ago, but apparently, they were closed down because they were panicking about a mortal boy who they called _unbound_." she shuddered for a brief moment. "You should have seen it. The entire council was in chaos, all except for one goddess... who wasn't there at all." she finished, smirking. "Don't you think the coincidences match a bit _too_ much?"

Shirou stared at her in surprise.

"Of course, I could be wrong, and you could be nothing at all, but... I'm a daughter of Athena for a reason. And I like solving puzzles." she said. "So unless you wanna just chalk up the truth, I'm going to push you until you relent."

"Why are you so onto doing this in the first place anyway?" Shirou asked in curiosity.

"Again, Athena's my mom. I like challenges and puzzles. And I'm bored too. But seriously, my mom's a _goddess_, Shirou. The fact that a mortal's made the entire Olympian council freak out... It's a demigod's job to be concerned, isn't it? Don't worry, I won't reveal anything I find out to the entire camp. All of this is private information anyways." Annabeth retorted, before continuing with a smirk. "And frankly, your comments haven't helped your case either. But then again, you could be intentionally leading me on... But that's just part of the fun, isn't it Shirou?"

Shirou chuckled in response. "I suppose you have a point, yeah."

_Alright, let's play this game, Annabeth Chase._

Annabeth smirked. "Good. You better not disappoint me, Shirou. I have high expectations after what I've heard from Thalia, you know?" she said. "Although I don't expect you to, of course. I've got a good feeling about choosing you... And Athena always has the best plans."

As he watched the girl walk away, Shirou briefly contemplated losing, just to aggravate the blonde.

_Now, what else to do?_

* * *

Shirou found Percy Jackson struggling in the Archery Range. He had decided to venture to the practice zone in his boredom, and had found the demigod struggling to even _hit the target _properly. It was frankly, slightly painful to see. Especially when one of his arrows almost poked a hole through a blond haired camper.

Shirou grimaced. Archery had always been a favorite pastime for him. It honed his skills, strength, finesse, and gave him an objective to focus for. He had often been described as a machine, due to his serenity in his movements, and his constant bullseyes.

Shirou Emiya never missed after all.

Shirou amusedly walked over to the demigod, who reacted to his presence gleefully. The son of Poseidon, ever optimistic, gave him a friendly smile and a one armed hug. Shirou smiled slightly. The boy had an extremely potent tendency for easy companionship. He was easygoing, friendly, and kind. _If only the holy grail war had people like him..._

Shirou got rid of that thought instantly, blowing it away from his mindscape. _I can't linger over what happened in the past anymore. Missed chances, regrets, all of those are things that are done and over with. I need to focus on what's happening _**_now_**_ and in the present._

And for him, that involved a certain son of Poseidon's abysmal archery.

Observing at a distance, Shirou had instantly noticed flaws. A humiliating stance. An unstable hand. An angled draw. A general lack of faith in his abilities, which in his defense, were at least somewhat well deserved. Shirou would have settled towards the conclusion of the demigod simply holding no talent for the art, except for a few factors.

First of all, his strength was immense, and he gave it out in bursts that replicated professional Archers. And despite everything, the boy still kept an unwavering, rock solid focus on his destination. His target. Those were qualities of a potentially great Archer. What Percy Jackson lacked was finesse.

_He can move extremely fluidly when he uses his sword, but when he uses a bow, he trembles like a stuttering mess. Interesting. Perhaps... Could it be?_

There was certainly the possibility that Percy was simply using the _wrong_ type of bow. Shirou himself had specialized in traditional Japanese archery, otherwise known as _Kyudo,_ because it suited his needs, but Greek style archery was much more based on finesse. Strength was not required, but dexterity was an extreme necessity.

Shirou put the note in his memory as Percy escorted out of the archery range, sweating.

"Gods, I thought it was never gonna end! Sorry about what happened yesterday by the way. I thought you were some monster." Percy said, laughing. "You... aren't a monster right?" he asked once again, an eyebrow raised in a confused yet desperate expression that Shirou couldn't quite make out.

In response, Shirou deadpanned at him.

"Right. Not a monster. Got it." Percy said, reacting instantly and bringing a laugh out of Shirou. "It's just... So weird, you know? Some random guy steps out of the bushes, starts controlling flying swords, and then says he's a mortal. You ever plan on telling me your secrets by the way?"

Shirou shook his head with a smile. "Maybe one day. I don't want to burden people with the knowledge."

In response, the son of poseidon smiled and nodded his head, much to Shirou's surprise. "I think I get that. When I was... 12, I think, I loved being the hero to save the day, you know? But I'm starting to think that to be completely fair, it's just better to be a normal demigod. Without the scary monsters and gods."

Shirou bit back a retort at that phrase. _After all, hell to some can be heaven to others. _

Before he could make any additional remarks, a new voice came out of nowhere. _Thalia._

"Shirou! Percy! Chiron's calling you to the big house." Thalia said, huffing. "He said it was urgent. It's a quest that an olympian personally requested just now, although he wouldn't mention which one. We have to go to find a couple demigod kids, and quickly."

Shirou nodded. "So we go off now?"

"Yeah. I'll just get Annabeth and Grover, and then we'll be off." Thalia said, before perking up once more. "Oh, and Shirou? Chiron said that you would find 'direction' in this quest. Have any idea what that means?"

Shirou shook his head, replying honestly. Although, he had his suspicions for sure.

_One thing's positive, though. This just got a **lot** more interesting._

* * *

**Notes**

**Aaaaand we're finally taking off. Immediately, we're noticing the subtle changes from canon, such as Hades himself seeing Chiron!**

**Sorry if this arc has been, in general, a bit too filler. I wanted to start character interactions. (Like Annabeth's, I'm going to have fun writing Shirou's dialogue with her. And before you ask, no he isn't going to be paired up with her lol. I have plans for her.)**

**Next chapter, we'll be getting into the Titan's Curse arc!**

**Please leave a review! :)**

**-Hahy**


	8. Putting this up for adoption

Hello, dear readers. I'll make this quick.

I'm putting this fic up for adoption.

I know, I know. I seem to be terrible at this. This being, maintaining a constant update schedule. What is it now? The third rewrite?

...Yeah.

I've been mulling this over my head for quite a while now, and I've decided that I'm just not the one to complete this story. Sorry to disappoint you. Again. And again. Aaaand again.

This fic grew way more in popularity than I expected it to, to be honest. And I haven't had the motivation to write it for... quite a while. Maybe I was just reluctant to let go of my most successful fic. Greedy, I know.

But I'll be completely honest... I've fallen out of fandom with PJO. Fate still interests me to some degree, but I just don't find any interest in PJO's world and story anymore. Maybe I'm being an entitled ass, but I'm sorry. I just can't bring myself to write this anymore without feeling writer's block.

That being said, I'll put this up for adoption so that maybe someone can finish what I failed miserably in.

PM me if you're interested. If I only one person is interested, I'll just lend the fic to them. If more are interested, I'll make a choice within a few days. Otherwise, I suppose this is abandoned.

Once again, I deeply apologize. I've let you readers down way too many times.

Stay safe, everyone.

-Hahy


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